The Way You Love Me
by CarolinaDawn
Summary: EC. Each chapter stands alone and explores a different way in which Eric and Calleigh show their love for each other. Chapter 5 - Calleigh reflects on the little ways Eric shows her he loves her.
1. How To Forget A Bad Day

A/N: This will be a series of unrelated one-shot stories in which Calleigh reflects on the many things she loves about Eric. I have no idea how many there will be, or how long it will be in between chapters, but the idea for this one came to me today and I just figured I would take it further whenever another idea struck me. Enjoy.

...

Calleigh would need more than two hands to count the things she loved about Eric, this much she knew for sure. And as she lay basking in the afterglow of some very delicious lovemaking, one of those things she loved about him sat in the forefront of her satiated mind. She loved him because no matter how hard of a day she had, no matter how much of a bad mood she could be in because of something that had happened at work, by the time they went to sleep, he will have turned that bad mood around.

The day had started like most days, a very long shower for two followed by cups of coffee as they dressed and went about their morning routine, which more often than not included Calleigh fending off Eric's wandering hands and lips as she dropped her towel and attempted to select and then put on lingerie and then a pair of slacks and a shirt. Truth be told, Eric sometimes had to fend off _her_ wandering hands and lips whenever his toned chest and oh so marvelous butt was bared to her adoring gaze.

As they usually did, they arrived at work together and then separated to attend to their respective cases, sometimes meeting up for lunch if crime allowed them some downtime. But today crime had not been very considerate, in fact it had been downright brutal, and they had not seen each other again until very late in the day, which had only served to make Calleigh even more grumpy.

Eric caught up with Calleigh in the ballistics lab's gun range. He'd run into Ryan in the hall outside the trace lab and was filled in on their latest case. She and Ryan had been called out to a double murder on a boat moored out in Biscayne Bay. A young woman in her early thirties had been brutally and repeatedly stabbed multiple times and was found on the steps leading down into the cabin. The murder itself had seemed routine until the young woman's three year old daughter had been found dead, also with multiple stab wounds, in the cabin's small bedroom. Their investigation led them to the woman's ex-boyfriend, and father of her daughter. The unrepentant asshole, after much interrogation from Calleigh and Ryan, had finally confessed to killing them, and all because he didn't want to pay child support. His excuse: he never wanted the child to begin with, she'd tricked him to get pregnant he said, and that kind of trickery warranted her death, and that of the little bitch too. When those very words had crossed his foul lips, it had taken Ryan and Frank to hold her back from hitting him, to hold her back from a charge of police brutality.

After an encounter with such an unrepentant baby killer, he knew where he'd find Calleigh: in the gun range blowing off steam, with visions of the killer's face on the target in front of her. He could hear the pops of gunfire as he pushed open the door, finding her in a tense shooter's stance as she fired bullet after bullet into the now shredded target. For several moments he just stood and observed her, taking in the frown on her beautiful face, the tense set of her shoulders, and the way her brows knit together. He waited to announce his presence with a soft "Hey" until she'd emptied a clip and took off the ear protective headset to set about reloading.

So engrossed was she in letting off some steam that she hadn't realized she wasn't alone and jumped slightly at his greeting, then rolled her shoulders as she set the gun down on the counter in front of her. She didn't turn around, she knew he would make his way to her - and he did. Despite her current mood, she couldn't stop the smile from lifting the corners of her lips as he stepped up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist.

Knowing instinctively what was next, Calleigh turned her head and offered up her neck as he lowered his lips and brushed soft kisses against her skin, his palms finding their way to her hips. His fingers slipped under her cream colored blouse to caress soft skin as his lips continued their journey to her pulse point, where he sucked a knee weakening wet kiss against her now rapidly beating pulse.

The whimper of his name that slipped past her lips had Eric chuckling softly. "Ready to go, Baby?" he asked as he turned her gently in his arms.

Slipping her arms around his shoulders, Calleigh's eyes fell to his delectable lips, the lips that had quickly become one of her weaknesses. "Yeah," she murmured softly as she leaned against his body and pressed a kiss to those lips, moaning softly when he deepened the kiss and allowed his hands to wander down to cup her butt cheeks.

Both were breathing heavily when the kiss ended, and arms still around his shoulders, Calleigh tucked her head beneath his chin and closed her eyes, letting his strength, his scent, surround her. "God, I needed this," she breathed.

"I know," he whispered in reply, bending his head to drop a kiss to her hair as his arms banded tightly around her body.

They stayed like that for several moments until Calleigh sighed, pulled back and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. "Come on, lets go home," she whispered with a smile.

...

As soon as they walked through Calleigh's front door, Eric pushed her toward the living room, imploring her to just sit and relax while he made dinner for them. To further encourage her relaxation, he quickly poured her a glass of wine, then led her to the roomy overstuffed armchair and pushed her down into it. After handing the wine glass to her, he bent down to take her shoes off, rubbing her feet as he dropped each shoe onto the carpet. Pushing the foot rest against the chair, he moved her legs to rest atop the cushy piece of furniture, then with a hand on each arm rest, he slowly lowered his head to hers and kissed her warmly, softly, deeply, loving the shiver his kiss produced.

As he intended, the kiss and his insistence on her utter relaxation brought a smile to her lips. "Stay here... sip that," he commanded softly, nodding toward the wine glass in her hand. He didn't want her to move, didn't want her to help in the kitchen, as he knew the southern woman in her would not feel right letting him cook in _her_ kitchen without her there to help.

After a light dinner eaten while cozied up together in the armchair, Eric cleaned up the kitchen while Calleigh sat, a second glass of wine in her hands, mulling over the days events and becoming more and more agitated as she thought about the young woman and her daughter, and the man that took them out of this world in such a violent manner and for such a selfish reason. Calleigh couldn't understand how one person could be so selfish, so soulless, as to take the lives of two beautiful people. How a man could look into the eyes of a little girl so beautiful, that was half his DNA, and not fall in love with her she would never know. Folding her legs against her chest, and laying her head down on her arm stretched out over her drawn up knees, wine glass dangling from her other hand, Calleigh thought about the things the woman and her daughter would never get to do and it broke her heart, brought unbidden tears to her eyes. She blinked rapidly to keep them from falling, and took a few sips of wine to calm herself.

Eric had witnessed all of it, had seen her draw herself up, lay her head down. Had seen the look on her face and knew she was back at the crime scene, back in the interrogation room, reliving it all. And he knew, he _knew_, she would be struggling not to cry. Instead of making his way to her side, he quietly turned toward her bedroom and made a beeline for the drawer of clothes he kept in her dresser. Each kept clothes at the other's home since they never spent a night apart, either ending up at her place or his, more often than not, her place. After gathering up several items, he made his way back to her with a smile, intending on ending her day on a much better note.

Depositing the items on the floor next to the chair, he took the wine glass from Calleigh's hand, placed it on the coffee table, then motioned for her to scoot up some, settling himself behind her, her body comfortably ensconced between his legs. She leaned back against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, drawing his fingers through her soft blonde locks in a way he knew soothed her. He smirked when her eyes fluttered closed and a soft sigh escaped her.

After several minutes of just being together, Eric moved his fingers to the waistband of her slacks, unfastening the button and drawing the zipper down.

"Eric?" Calleigh whispered, unsure what he was up to.

"Shhhh, relax Baby," he murmured in that sexy bedroom voice as he pressed a soft kiss to her neck. "Lift up," he whispered as he began to push the material down. He drew her slacks over her hips and down her legs, depositing them on the floor beside the chair, then reached for the small bottle of warming oil before straightening back up. Moving his hands to her front, he began to flip open the buttons on her shirt.

Dutifully, Calleigh relaxed as she watched his fingers slowly and skillfully flip open each button, lips quirked into a smile as she wondered what exactly he was up to, eyebrow raised when he didn't brush his fingers over her breasts, as he so often did when he removed her clothing for her. Her blouse joined her slacks on the floor just before she felt his fingers brush lightly against her skin as he drew his fingertips across her back to the clasp on her bra. She was unable to stop the shiver that enveloped her as he expertly unfastened it and drew his fingertips up her back to her shoulders and slid the straps slowly down her arms.

Gently Eric gathered her long hair in one hand and placed it over her left shoulder, dotting kisses across her back as he opened the bottle of warming oil and poured a generous amount in his hands and rubbed them together.

Calleigh shivered again when the cooler air hit her bare skin, and she wasn't sure if it was the cooler air or the feel of the kisses he drew across her back that caused her nipples to harden to peaks, but she couldn't stop the soft moan when moments later she felt an unmistakable warmth against her back as Eric lay both hands against her shoulders and drew them down her back in a circular motion, beginning a deep massage. A heavy sigh pushed past her lips as she leaned forward, forearms against his legs, and gave herself over to the sensation of his hands lovingly massaging the day's stress off of her back.

Slowly Eric moved his strong hands over Calleigh's bare back, concentrating on those areas that drew soft moans from her lips, moving his hands from her shoulders down to her lower back, only dipping once beneath the waistband of her panties before moving his touch back up to her shoulders.

By the time his hands made it back to her shoulders her tense body had loosened completely, her head lolled forward and her soft sighs and moans filled the air around them. His palms gripped her shoulders, his thumbs rubbing circles at the base of her neck as he continued the massage. "Eric... God," she moaned, her fingers flexing against his thighs, "That feels so good."

Normally she uttered those words in the heat of passion, as he moved in and out of her willing body, and while Eric couldn't deny he loved hearing those words from her as he sought to make her forget a bad day, he also had every intention of getting her to say it again, later, when he made love to her. Just the mere thought of making love to Calleigh had Eric's body humming, his blood heating with a passion he couldn't quench, would never be able to quench. Leaning forward slightly he pressed his lips to that spot just behind her ear, that spot that always elicited a shiver, feeling the goose bumps flare across her skin as he pressed a wet kiss to her skin, nipped it with his teeth, and laved the spot with his tongue.

When the warm oil was completely absorbed by her skin, when she was putty in his hands, he lay a warm palm against her back, leaned over and picked up the remaining items he'd brought with him off the floor. Taking a black t-shirt of his in his hands, he slipped it over her head and covered her body, moving her beautiful soft hair to lay once again down her back.

Calleigh was in heaven after such a massage, body feeling so loose, so content, and she had a fleeting moment of disappointment when instead of taking the massage further, into the love making that normally followed, he instead slipped his t-shirt over her head. But that disappointment was short lived when she felt her hairbrush being drawn slowly through her hair. Her lips parted in surprise, for never before had any man she'd ever been with brushed her hair. Ever. But the amazing man behind her was. The amazing man behind her that had just given her the best massage she'd ever had, and could have been inside her panties at this very moment, was instead taking the time to soothe her even further by brushing her hair. If she hadn't already fallen deeply in love with him, she would have now.

Having three older sisters, Eric was very aware that women loved having their hair played with, loved having someone else brush their hair. So he slowly drew the brush through her silky soft hair, from the roots to the tips, the strands falling through the brush bristles with ease. Purposefully he brushed his fingertips against her neck and down her back every now and then as he drew his fingers through her locks, loving the soft sighs and moans his actions elicited from her.

Slowly, over the past hour, Eric had lulled Calleigh into a state of utter peace, the days events long forgotten. He'd taken her to a place where only the two of them existed, where nothing else mattered but them and the love they felt for each other. In fact - "I love you," Calleigh whispered softly.

"Really?" Eric whispered back as he drew the brush down her hair, softly against her back so that the bristles lightly scratched her covered skin. He'd heard her say those words many times before, and like each time, his heart fluttered and soared, but he couldn't help teasing her.

"Yes," she murmured, shivering as the brush scratched lightly against her back.

"Truly?"

"Yes," she replied again with a smile, drawing random shapes on his thighs with her fingers.

"Deeply?" His smile now matched hers.

"Yes." She was giggling now, catching on.

"Madly," he asked, putting the brush down and moving his hands to her hips.

"Yes," she answered, still giggling.

"Passionately?" he murmured, drawing his hands slowly up her sides, fingertips brushing against the swell of her breasts.

"No," she answered, trying her best to school her features into a frown, the lift at the corners of her lips giving her away.

"No!" Eric exclaimed, shifting and turning her over in his arms, fingers reaching under her shirt to tickle her sides.

Suddenly the air was filled with Calleigh's laughter as Eric tickled her, and Eric's commands for her to take that "no" back. They struggled with each other in the armchair, each trying to gain the upper hand, laughing the entire time. Within minutes Calleigh was on her back in the chair, shirt bunched around her waist, Eric hovering over her, one leg between hers, hand poised above her, ready to strike.

"Do you love me passionately?" he asked her slowly, flexing the fingers he held above her, the smile on his lips belying the threat he was trying to pose.

"No," she giggled as she replied, the giggle turning into a screaming laughter as his tickling fingers dropped to the skin left bare by her bunched up shirt.

"Take it back, Baby," he told her, laughing with her.

"Okay, okay... I take it back," she gasped out.

"And?" he asked, eyebrow arched.

Calleigh stopped laughing and stared up into his chocolate brown eyes, eyes staring back at her with a passion she always saw there. "I love you... passionately, Babe," she breathed as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and drew him down for a kiss.

The kiss quickly deepened, turning to the passion she'd admitted to, and when it finally broke both were breathless.

"Good," Eric whispered, dropping a kiss to her nose then shifting them into a sitting position, her straddling his lap. "Because I love you, too." He stood with her in his arms, her legs immediately wrapping around his waist. "And right now," he murmured to her in that sexy bedroom voice that always made her shiver, as he made his way toward her bedroom, "I am going to show you... just how very much." He punctuated his words with a kiss to her lips as he kicked the bedroom door closed.


	2. Crustacean Surprise

Crustacean Surprise

A/N: The idea for this one is taken from an evening I had with my husband not that long ago, and I thought it would be cute for Eric & Calleigh. Thanks to my lovely beta JLo for her invaluable assistance.

...

Bracing herself with a palm against Eric's back, Calleigh toed off her strappy sandals and sat her purse down on the side table by the front door. Because they usually watched television curled up together on the couch to unwind before bed, Eric headed for the living room after dropping his keys next to Calleigh's purse, intent on finding the remote and putting in one of Calleigh's favorite movies.

If Eric had turned around, he would have seen Calleigh's green eyes darken and a smile slowly curve her lips as she watched his retreating back, as her eyes scanned his tall form from his muscular shoulders, clearly visible in the black form fitting t-shirt he wore, to the muscular arms she so often clung to when they made love, down to the way his well worn jeans clung to his perfectly shaped butt. Biting her lip, she let her gaze drift back up as she thought about the surprise Eric had treated her to that afternoon.

It was one of the things she loved about Eric, the fact that he was always planning ways to surprise her with something he just knew she would love. He had a way of picking up on things she said in passing, on a look that would cross her face, or a light that would shine in her eyes as she gazed at something or someone, and an idea would come to him… and she would reap the benefits. This afternoon had been the result of something he'd heard her say, and she was intent on thanking him properly.

Catching Eric before he made it to the couch, Calleigh wrapped an arm around his waist and turned him around. "Uh uh, this way," she informed him, her tone light and teasing as she placed her palms on his chest and gently pushed him backwards toward her bedroom.

"No television?" Eric asked as he settled his hands on her hips, smiling when her fingers drifted to the hem of his shirt.

"Nope," she grinned, drawing his t-shirt over his head and dropping it unceremoniously to the floor as they navigated the turn into the hallway. "No television," she confirmed, moving her hands to the waistband of his jeans and tugging him forward for a kiss as she unfastened the button, lowered the zipper.

Eric moaned softly as she broke the kiss and moved her hands upward to lie against his chest. Wanting to be kissing her again he dipped his head to reconnect their lips just as she pushed him backwards through the hallway. Stumbling slightly and chuckling at her playfulness, and since he couldn't kiss her, Eric brought his hands to the hem of her t-shirt, only to have Calleigh swat his hands out of the way as she pushed him across the threshold into her bedroom.

"No cuddling?" he tried again as the back of his legs hit the pillow-top mattress. His eyes darkened when, with a sultry and seductive smile, Calleigh drew her fingernails lightly down his toned chest, palms delving past the waistband of his jeans to settle on his bare hips before pushing his jeans down.

That sultry smile turned almost diabolical as Calleigh once again pushed lightly on his chest, this time sending him backward onto the bed as she bent down to tug his jeans off his legs. Slowly, oh so slowly, she climbed on top of him until she straddled his hips, hands on either side of his head. Deep jade green met burning chocolate brown. "At least… not on the couch," she murmured in reply as she captured his lips in a deep kiss.

"Then what?" he whispered when the kiss broke, his tone low and gravelly, hands drifting over her soft blonde hair, cupping the back of her head to bring her lips back to his.

Calleigh couldn't help but moan softly at the hungry way he kissed her, as if he couldn't get enough of her. But tonight wasn't about her, it was about him, so she took a few more moments to enjoy his kiss before gently pulling away, grinning at his audible whimper. Biting her bottom lip she sat up, rolling her hips against his.

Eric's whimper rolled into a grunt and his eyes rolled back into his head as his hips bucked upwards at the sensation, his arousal building by the second. But it was when Calleigh reached for the band holding her pony tail in place and removed it, sending her hair cascading about her shoulders, that she had his attention once again.

Moving his hands to her denim covered thighs, Eric watched as Calleigh slowly ran her fingers through her hair, his pupils dilating and nostrils flaring as he watched her palms coast slowly over her breasts and down her abdomen. His tongue flicked out to lick his lips and his fingers twitched as he watched her fingers grasp the hem of her t-shirt and slowly draw it up and over her head, flinging it across the room to some unknown corner.

"Just me," she whispered, leaning forward, watching as his gaze shifted to her lace covered breasts, "… thanking you," her lips captured his in a soft kiss, "… for today."

"Mmmm," Eric murmured as he drew his palms up her thighs to cup her butt cheeks, squeezing lightly, "All I did was take you to dinner."

Calleigh shook her head at him. "Oh you did much more than that," she murmured as she removed his hands from her butt and laid them beside his head. "Much… much… more," she continued as she dotted kisses down his chest before rising up onto her knees and drawing her fingers, and his heated gaze, to the button on her jeans.

…

_A week ago Eric had been on his way to the elevator, intending on heading down to autopsy to see what Alexx had been able to find on their latest case, when he heard Calleigh's voice emanating from the break room as he passed by. As he always did, he slowed his steps and listened to every word she said, taking a peek inside to find her talking to Ryan and gesturing happily, eyes lit up, as she talked to him about the joys of eating crab legs. _

"_But Calleigh," Ryan said, looking at her skeptically, "It sure seems like a lot of work just for a little bite of crab. I mean, you have to use this little tool to pry the stupid thing open, and for what… a morsel of crab meat?"_

"_Ryan, using that tool to pry open the "stupid thing" is half the fun of it and if you do it right, you get more than a morsel of the crab meat!" Eric watched un-noticed as Calleigh's eyes took on a glow, as a smile lit her face and she looked wistfully out the window as she continued. It's the ultimate experience… sitting by the sea with a cold beer and a big bucket of crab legs before you, getting your hands dirty when you place the tool in just the right spot, slide it up the crab leg, pry it open and voila… a nice chuck of meat for your eating pleasure." She turned her gaze from the window and set her twinkling eyes on Ryan, winking. "Or, if you pry the leg from the joint just right, you open one end of it and then you can suck the meat out."_

_Eric almost laughed and revealed his presence at the look on Ryan's face as Calleigh mentioned sucking on a crab leg. He could just imagine Ryan's OCD tendencies flaring up at the thought of doing such a thing. He was about to continue on his way when the next words out of Ryan's mouth intrigued him._

"_So, tell me, if you love it so much… if it's the ultimate experience," he raised his hands in mock quotation marks, making Calleigh roll her eyes. "Why haven't you gone out for crab legs before? I mean, you've never mentioned it before."_

_Calleigh sighed heavily. "We used to eat them all the time when I was growing up, Daddy loved them. But, I've never been able to find a place around here that has not just good crab legs, but also the right atmosphere. You see, it's not the same if you go to some fancy place that shells the crab legs for you, or to a chain restaurant that gets them in bulk, frozen, from some northern New England state. The fun is just being relaxed and casual, getting dirty eating the best fresh crab legs with an ice cold beer." _

_Although he wasn't looking at her, Eric knew she would have that wistful smile on her face again, and it gave him an idea. With a spring in his step, his mind already thinking things through, he continued on his way toward the elevator._

_It had taken two months for Eric to find the perfect place. He'd made phone calls and talked to people he figured were "in the know" as he made his plans, and said a few extra prayers in church the previous Sunday that this day would be rain free, and not too hot. He'd found the perfect place to take her about an hour's drive from Miami and had planned the entire day out, going so far as to make sure they both had the day off. _

_After spending the morning enjoying each other in bed, they spent the early part of the afternoon swimming in Calleigh's pool and eating a poolside lunch Eric prepared while Calleigh relaxed in the sun. At about 3:00 Eric cornered Calleigh in the pool, picked her up as her legs wrapped around his waist and captured her lips with his as he walked them toward the shallow end and up the steps to their towels. As he wrapped her in a large fluffy beach towel, he quietly informed her he was taking her to dinner somewhere, they would leave in an hour, and she should dress in something very casual, and no, he would not tell her where they were going._

_A little over two hours later they pulled up to a large wooden shack that sat near the ocean on a small bluff. The shack itself was a dive, complete with a rusted tin roof and a very large deck out back that separated the shack from the narrow strip of sandy beach. A crude wooden sign nailed to the front porch column declared the place to be "Fisher's Crabs" and a window at the front of the building with yet another wooden sign on which someone had hand-painted "Take Out", had several people standing in front of it, waiting to place their orders to go. It was an out of the way place that tourists didn't know about, and Eric had only heard about it from a night shift CSI that had family in the area. _

_Calleigh's excitement at where he'd taken her had her bounding out of the car before he could make his way around the hood to open the door for her. "Oh my God," she breathed, smiling broadly as she took the place in. "How did you find this? How did you know that I…"_

_Her words were cut off by his lips on hers, kissing her softly, sweetly, and punctuating that kiss with his signature knee-weakening smile. "I heard you telling Wolfe how much you loved eating crab legs, so I did some checking around. Schneider told me about this place. He described it more or less like what you said. Just um…" he paused, shrugging with an adorable grin, "You'll have to show me how to eat crab legs." _

"_You've never eaten crab legs before?" she asked incredulously, accent thickening, unable to grasp the thought that someone who'd lived near the coast his entire life hadn't eaten crab legs. _

"_Isabel is allergic to shellfish, so we never had anything of the sort."_

_A slow smile curved Calleigh's lips. "Well then," she told him with a kiss to his oh so kissable lips, "I'd be happy to show you." Her eyes twinkled happily as she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the restaurant's front door, "Come on!"_

_Ten minutes later Eric and Calleigh sat at one of the back patio's picnic tables, lucky enough to get one next to the railing where they could look out over the water. Each had a large white plastic bib tied behind their necks, with a brown paper placemat and a large glass of beer before them. A metal bucket sat in a hole in the middle of the table, ready for the remains of crab legs, next to a roll of paper towels and a small plastic bin, heaped to the brim with moist towelette packets. With the slight breeze that blew in off the water, it was the perfect setting and Calleigh was fairly twittering with excitement. _

_Knowing she was going to be getting a little dirty, she gathered her long hair into her hands, intending to fashion it into a braid, and was pleasantly surprised when Eric reached into his pocket and produced a band for her hair. _

"_I figured you'd need this," he told her with a bit of a sheepish smile._

_Her smile was demure and all the thanks he needed as she took the band from his fingers and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. _

_Eric sat back and watched Calleigh's eyes light up as the waitress placed shallow metal buckets in front of the both of them, and then lift off the tops with flourish. The fact that Calleigh licked her lips as she gazed at what lay inside her bucket had him laughing heartily. Taking the plastic crab-cracking tool in his hand he grinned at her, "Okay, show me what to do."_

_With a broad smile Calleigh picked up one of the crab claws and broke off one leg, then further broke that leg at the joint, watching Eric as he did the same. Taking the larger piece of the leg in her left hand she picked up her plastic tool with her right hand, "Now, turn the leg over to this side," she began, turning the leg she held so that he could see what she was doing. "Then slide the tool in like this, and slide it all the way up." _

_Eric watched as she slid the tool with ease up the length of the crab leg and then pried the leg part with just as much ease before she gleefully extracted the meat and popped it into her mouth. "You forgot to dip it in the butter," he told her, his brows knit together in confusion. He pointed down at the little cup of butter in his bucket. "I always thought you were supposed to dip it in this butter here before eating it."_

"_Most people do," she informed him. "But I don't, it doesn't really need it. Besides, butter is bad for you." She grinned at him. "Now, your turn."_

_Holding the larger piece of crab leg as she had done, he slid the tool inside and upward, encountering unexpected resistance. Pursing his lips together in concentration he kept at it, sliding the tool a little more forcefully. Finally he was able to slit the entire leg, but the slit he made was far more jagged than hers. Dropping the tool onto the table he proceeded to pry open the leg, but only succeeded in prying off part of one side. With an audible 'humph' he scooped up what little crab meat he could and popped it into his mouth, then continued to try to pry open the rest of the leg. _

_Calleigh looked on, amused, as he pried open the rest of the crab leg in much the same fashion, getting it piece by piece. _

"_Eric, you've got to put the tool in just the right place." She picked up the other half of the crab leg, broke off the small piece on the end, and then turned it toward Eric. "See how it's just a hard edge here and here? Trying to slit the leg there would be too hard. You'd end up doing what you just did." She met his eager gaze and pointed to the crab leg he held in his hand. "Slit it right along here, where the shell is not as hard." Leaning closer, she watched as Eric slid the tool in and ran it easily up the leg._

_With a grin he dropped the tool and pried the leg open, much more easily than before, and with a shout of "Hah!" he slid the piece of crab meat out. With a raised eyebrow and slanting a look at Calleigh, he dipped the piece in the melted butter and popped it into his mouth, earning himself an eye roll from the beautiful woman across from him. _

"_See how easy it can be," Calleigh told him as she opened her own crab leg and Eric washed down his crab with beer. _

_Feeling far more confident about his crab-cracking abilities, Eric put down his beer glass and picked up the small end of the last crab leg and looking up at Calleigh, inserted the tool into the small opening, But what Calleigh did next had Eric's mouth hanging open, eyes zeroed in on her pink lips. _

_With an inherent grace, Calleigh picked up the smallest crab leg and slipped it between her lips. Having caught the look on Eric's face, she ramped it up a little. Her own darkening green eyes narrowed in on him, she pursed her lips a little more than she normally would have and sucked the piece of crab meat out, using a little more suction as she removed the now empty leg from her mouth. _

_A slow wink and a sultry smile greeted Eric as she dropped the leg into the bucket in the middle of the table. Taking a large gulp of his cold beer and shifting a little in his seat to relieve the rising pressure against the zipper of his jeans, Eric chuckled and shook his head, and with renewed confidence in his crab-cracking abilities, picked up the crab claw, tore off a leg, and separated it into two. With flourish he picked up the tool and inserted it into one end. Winking at Calleigh he began to slit the leg… and was met once again with resistance. Frowning he continued to try to slit the leg, and ended up with a jagged slit again. _

_As Calleigh easily slit the crab leg she held, he gave her a wry smirk and proceeded to pry the jagged edges apart, ending up small clumps of crab meat with each small piece of shell he was able to pry off the leg. Throwing the pieces into the metal bucket, he picked up the second half of the leg and tried again… getting much the same results. _

_Dropping the tool in frustration, Eric grunted in Calleigh's direction, noting with mild irritation that she was able to easily crack open the crabs to extract the meat. Gulping down a little liquid courage, he took a deep breath and tearing a leg off the claw, separated the leg at the joint and tried again. _

_Calleigh watched as Eric took a deep breath, studied the leg in his hand, and finally positioned the tool at the opening. He blinked once, twice, and looking up at her, slid the tool up the leg, slicing it perfectly. With a shout he dropped the tool onto the table and smiled broadly at her. Smiling broadly herself, Calleigh raised a hand in a "high five" gesture, giggling when Eric raised his own and slapped hers with a triumphant glee._

_With a delighted chuckle, Eric pried open the leg and extracted a large lump of crab meat. After a half second of hesitation, he looked up at Calleigh, his darkened eyes meeting her gaze._

_Calleigh's breath caught in her throat at the look in his eyes. It was the look he gave her that always made her shiver, the look that told her that she was his world, his reason for living… his reason for breathing. Lips slightly parted, Calleigh watched as Eric raised his arm and held the lump of crab meat up for her to eat. Eyes never wavering from his heated gaze, Calleigh opened her mouth and sucked the meat from his fingers, making sure her tongue laved his fingers and her lips closed seductively over his fingertips before pulling back. _

_In the months since they had been dating, Calleigh had grown more and more demonstrative with her feelings when they were in public. The more confident she'd grown in their relationship, the more receptive she'd been to public displays of affection beyond hugs and chaste kisses. And today Eric had seen a whole new side of Calleigh. She was so much more free with her feelings when it was more than just the two of them, when they weren't alone… and he couldn't have been more happy. He was enjoying a side of Calleigh he normally got to see only in the privacy of their own homes, or in the break room or locker room at work. _

_His own lips parted at the seductive way she seemed to be chewing the crab meat, but the parted lips turned into a full-on grin when she lifted off of the bench she sat on and leaning over the table, pressed her lips to his and kissed him._

_Calleigh grinned at the way Eric immediately licked his lips, savoring her taste. "I love you," she declared, accent deepened, as she sat back down. _

"_Well," Eric drawled in response as he picked up another crab leg, "That's a good thing… because I love you too." With a wink he picked up the tool and began the crab cracking process he'd learned from Calleigh._

_For the next hour, Eric and Calleigh filled the metal bucket with empty crab legs as they chatted and laughed about their family, their friends, and themselves. Eric couldn't help but smile as he took in how beautiful Calleigh looked: her eyes were a bright shade of the most beautiful green, her cheeks a shade of pink that reminded him of the coral at the bottom of the ocean, the breeze blew the soft blonde strands of her pony tail over her shoulder, crab leg seasoning coated her hands as the juice ran down her forearms, and the smile that graced her beautiful face as she happily slit crab legs open was a smile he'd spend the rest of his life making sure was always present. _

_With a grin, Calleigh held up her seasoning-coated hands for Eric to see as she reached for the roll of paper towels, ripping off a long section and proceeding to wipe as much of the juice off her hands as she could. _

_What she did next surprised Eric greatly, because he'd never heard her do this before. Just as she reached for one of the moist wipes in the plastic bin, she belched... not too loudly for others to hear, but just loud enough for his ears to pick up. The look on her face was priceless, one of complete horror as she gasped and slapped her hand over her mouth. Eric laughed heartily, and palms pressed to the table, rose up off of his chair and leaned over the table, capturing her hand in one of his to remove it from her lips, and kissed her soundly. "God, I love you!" he told her as he broke the kiss and sat back down, meeting her embarrassed gaze._

_"I'm so sorry," she whispered, cheeks now a deeper shade of pink, still very embarrassed despite his declaration and kiss._

_"Don't be, baby," he murmured, still smiling at her as he reached for the roll of paper towels himself. "I love seeing the real you." _

_The pink in Calleigh's cheeks returned to a normal shade as she bit her lip, tilting her head at him as she thought about his words, thought about how she wasn't always so open with him as she'd just accidentally been. And oh how she wanted to change that now. Sometimes it amazed her how much the handsome man across from her loved her, and she knew he loved her deeply. Not only did he tell her so, often, but he showed her in so many ways, and still, sometimes she held back some of herself from him. He'd heard her make an off-handed comment to Ryan and he'd run with it, treating her to an activity she hadn't had the pleasure of doing in a long time, an activity he'd never done himself, and clearly, he'd done more than just find a restaurant that served crab legs. He'd gone to the trouble of finding the perfect place, the best crab legs in the setting she loved. And she couldn't love him more. _

_Calleigh reached across the table and grasped Eric's hand. "I promise you this, Eric," she told him, eyes filling, but not overflowing, chin trembling slightly, "From now on, you'll always see the real me."_

_Lips curving into the smile he gave to her, and only to her, Eric squeezed her fingers and, to Calleigh's immense relief, lightened the emotional moment. With a wink, he picked up the remaining crab claw on her plate, which had only two legs remaining, and held it up. "So, do you think we could share this? I wouldn't want to come between a Southern woman and her crab legs." _

_The sound of Calleigh's laughter, always music to Eric's ears, floated on the breeze as they each took a remaining leg and dug in one last time…_

…

More than an hour after she'd begun to thank him, Calleigh collapsed onto Eric's chest, rising and falling with the quick breaths he was taking beneath her. "Good God, Calleigh," he gasped out, unable to even muster up the strength to raise his arms to wrap around her perspiration soaked body. He could feel her grin against his neck, and shivered when he felt her soft warm lips press against his pulse point.

Leveraging herself back up, she gazed at his gorgeous face. "Worn out, babe?" she teased, knowing full well he was. She'd brought him to the brink time and again, bringing him higher and higher each time, but not quite letting him fall over the edge into oblivion until she wanted him to. And when she had let him fall over the precipice, she'd gone over herself just before him, timing it so that her climax would bring on his own... and had it ever.

His moan was long and low, the tremors of his explosive climax could still be felt as she lay sprawled atop him. "Mmmmhmmm," was all he could manage as he mustered up the strength to wrap his arms around her, rolling them to lay on their sides.

The adorable whimper that escaped her lips when he slipped from her depths brought a smile to his own lips. "I love you," he whispered into the minute space that separated their faces.

"I know you do," Calleigh whispered back as she tangled their legs, "You certainly showed me how much today." The kiss she planted on his soft full lips was

slow, languid, and sweet. "I uh... I hope I've thanked you well and good for the surprise you gave me."

Lustful brown eyes met deep emerald eyes as Eric's hands softly slid down her back to rest against her butt cheeks, squeezing gently as he ground her warmth against his rapidly hardening groin. "Oh yeah," he breathed, "And then some."

Lips met, hands wandered, and tongues dueled as they kissed and kissed and kissed, spending hours showing each other how much they were loved, how much they were treasured, before finally collapsing into a sleep so deep, that neither moved again until the sun was high in the sky the next afternoon.


	3. A Little Spontaneity

A/N: I came up with an idea for an M-rated scene for Eric & Calleigh, but had no fic idea to fit it in. Thank you to MomentarySetback for the GREAT fic idea, an idea that took on the life you'll read below, and for the title suggestion. And thank you to Jlo for the beta and wonderful suggestions that made this that much better.

A Little Spontaneity

With her hair dryer in her right hand and a brush in her left, Calleigh stood in front of her bathroom mirror drying her hair. Dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a figure-hugging short-sleeved red shirt, she put the finishing touches on her hair, drawing the rounded bristle brush under the strands until the ends of the blonde strands curved slightly under.

Eric was taking her to her favorite place - a casual seafood restaurant that sat on a pier over the ocean. No family, no friends, and no crime was allowed to invade their evening, they were taking time for themselves for a change. It seemed like the week had been filled with either work or some kind of family commitment... his mother's birthday party, his nephew's soccer game, her father's impromptu visits... if it wasn't one thing, it was another.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Eric stroll into the bathroom and she watched through the mirror as he slipped behind her, placing his hands on her hips. His fingers immediately sought out the hem of her shirt and slipped underneath to touch her warm bare skin… ratcheting her heartbeat up a few notches in the process.

Holding Eric's gaze in the mirror, Calleigh's movements slowed even as her heartbeat accelerated. The hand holding the hairbrush barely moved at all as the warm air from the hairdryer held limply in her hand blew uselessly into the air. Her breathing deepened as Eric skimmed his fingers up her abdomen, bunching up her shirt in the process, and when his palms settled over her lace-covered breasts, she parted her lips and dropped her gaze to his hands, watching as his hands gently squeezed the rounded swells. The low moan that slipped past her red lips when his thumbs brushed her nipples through the red lace caused the blood to rush straight to Eric's groin and he couldn't help but thrust against her backside.

When Calleigh again met his gaze in the mirror, lust had darkened her green eyes bringing a smirk to Eric's smug lips. His smirk turned into a devilish smile as he abruptly let go of her breasts and skimmed his hands slowly back down her abdomen, leaving her shirt bunched up high on her chest.

Again her gaze was drawn to his hands and she watched them move inexorably toward her jeans. Her tongue slipped past her parted lips to moisten them when his fingers slipped the button through the hole and lowered the zipper, the sound of the metal pull scraping against the zipper teeth seemingly magnified in her ears. The rush of moisture to her core was immediate the moment his fingers slipped inside the front of her jeans, inside her matching red lace panties, to comb through the soft hair at her center.

Head dropping back against his chest, Calleigh dropped the hairdryer and brush into the sink with a loud clatter, whimpering his name as she grasped his muscular arms in her trembling hands. Her breathing ragged, her face flushed, she was desperate for his fingers to touch her more intimately and knowing this, Eric continued to draw his fingers lightly through the soft hair, his touch moving closer and closer with each glancing pass.

Eric's own breathing was labored as he watched Calleigh lose control. He loved to slowly but surely reduce her to a quivering heap of feminine flesh before he sent her hurtling over the brink, just as much as he loved to rile her up in a mad rush to the exquisite finish line. Each time her face flushed to a beautiful blush, her eyes deepened to the darkest green with unabashed lust, her soft blonde hair went into complete disarray, and the sounds he evoked from her, the sighs, whimpers, moans and declarations of love all served to make him fall more and more in love with her, and want her all the more.

The cry he elicited from Calleigh's lips when he finally, _finally_ sought out the warm wetness at the juncture of her thighs proved to be his undoing. With a hard brush of his finger against her clit, a promise of things to come, he removed his hands from her panties, drawing a growl from her now scowling red lips. But that scowl was short lived for his hands quickly moved to her shirt, drawing it up and over her head and throwing it unceremoniously over his shoulder to land at an unknown spot behind him. His fingers made quick work of the clasps keeping her beautiful breasts from his seeking hands and it too was thrown over his shoulder with one hand as the other grasped her aroused flesh.

The image Eric saw in the mirror had him growling lowly, his heartbeat quickening, and he couldn't help but share it with her. "Calleigh," he breathed, his deep gravelly voice in her ear sending shivers down her spine as she opened her eyes to see the vision before her. Her head is back against his chest, hands still grasping his arms. His palms covered her breasts, and her jeans were open, revealing the red lace he'd previously ignored in his quest to seek out her heat.

Together they watched as one hand released a breast and skimmed down... down... past the waistband... between her soft warm skin and the red lace, and she whispered his name in that sweet southern lilt as her fingers flexed against his arms. "Eric... please," she pleaded breathlessly, bucking her hips against his hand, not at all ashamed to beg for his touch.

As it usually did, a plea in that soft accented tone turned him to putty in her hands and with another low growl in her ear he released her other breast and slipped his hand inside her panties to join the other at her hips, drawing both garments down to pool at her feet.

Quickly kicking her jeans and panties aside, Calleigh turned in his embrace, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing her nude body against his. "Why am I the only one naked?" she asked rhetorically before crushing her lips against his in a kiss that was heated and rough, wet and utterly satisfying, tangling her tongue with his as her hands reached between the press of their bodies to flip open the buttons on his black shirt.

As soon as she had his shirt open, Calleigh bunched up his white undershirt, desperate to feel his muscles beneath her fingers. Stark desire flooded her as her hands flitted over his chest, his arms, his shoulders, and she was barely aware that he'd slid his shirt off his shoulders until he separated their lips long enough to pull the t-shirt over his head, drawing a whimper from her lips at the loss of his.

Not missing a beat, Eric crushed his lips back to hers, sliding his palms down to cup her butt cheeks in his hands, squeezing them gently before abruptly hoisting her up and onto the counter behind her, and stepping between her already parted thighs.

Calleigh's surprised cry slid into a gasp as her backside met the cold counter, causing her to momentarily lose contact with Eric's lush lips... a problem she wasted no time in rectifying. One hand grasped the back of his neck to pull his lips to hers as her other hand grasped his belt and expertly unbuckled and removed it from his jeans. Clearly she had experience dealing one-handed with his belt.

Panting, Eric tore his lips from Calleigh's long enough to shove down his jeans and boxers, kicking them aside to join her discarded clothing. Hands on her thighs, he took a moment to drink in her slightly mussed hair, her dark and lusty green eyes, her red kiss swollen lips, the beautiful flush that tinged her skin… a look that was altogether so damned sexy.

With her arms around his neck, hands clasped at the back of his head, Eric took her lips in a kiss that was, this time, soft and tender as he swirled his fingertips against the inside of her thighs, tracing shapes and lines on his slow trek toward where she ached to feel his touch. Breaking the kiss, he tipped his head back just enough so that he could gaze at her eyes, at her expression as he reached her apex, his fingers merely brushing against her at first.

Eric's need for her pulsed through him when her eyes glazed over, lips forming an "oh!" before the breathy sound even pushed past her lips. Her "oh!" was accompanied by a cry when his fingers finally delved beneath and encountered her warmth, the slick wetness that immediately coated his fingers. The knowledge that he'd made her like this just from touching her always hit him with a certain degree of awe… and of satisfaction, and never failed to intensify his desire to be inside her.

His groan and her long, low moan echoed simultaneously against the tiled bathroom walls as Eric used his other hand to grip her hip. Knowing what he wanted and eager to have him there, Calleigh inched forward to the edge of the counter, crying out when his finger slid inside. Arching her back at the exquisite rush of pleasure, she braced herself with her hands on the counter behind her, tossing her head back when a second finger joined the first… and nearly causing Eric to climax right then and there at the picture of her perched on the counter like that, the feel of her wet depths clenching around his fingers a physical reminder of where he would soon be.

Her soft moans and cries filled the air around them as Eric adopted a maddeningly slow rhythm in and out of her body, as he watched her come undone. If there was one thing in this world he loved to do, it was watch Calleigh Duquesne lose control. Early on in their relationship she'd been hesitant to give herself completely to him, to really let go when they made love, but it hadn't taken long for Eric's love and absolute trust in her, for her to finally toss aside her reservations about giving herself fully to someone, for her to realize that he would always be there for her, would always love and respect her above all else. And for the first time in her life, she gave herself completely to a man... to Eric. Now, she never held back how she felt when they came together, just as she never held back how much she loved him.

Desperate for the release she knew he could give her, Calleigh moved one hand to grip his wrist, moving it faster, harder, in and out. Also now desperate for her to reach that peak so he could get inside her, Eric brushed her hand aside and picked up the faster pace, planting his thumb hard against her clit as his other hand cupped her breast, its thumb brushing lightly against the peak, and his lips traced a wet line across her cheek to that spot behind her ear that always made her shiver.

Her breathy cries increased in pitch and frequency as he swirled his thumb over the sensitive bundle of nerves and curled his fingers inside her depths, hitting that sweet spot. And when he brought his lips to her ear and whispered to her in Spanish to come for him, she lost it.

Calleigh's fingers dug into Eric's shoulders and she dropped her head against his chest as she came hard around his fingers, as she shuddered against him, crying out his name over and over like a prayer as her hips undulated against his hand.

Tangling his hand in her hair, Eric cupped the back of her head and captured her lips in a searing kiss. In a sudden movement he removed his hand from her trembling body and gripping her hips, drove himself home with a strong thrust, eliciting a shuddering cry from her lips.

Calleigh's cry mingled with Eric's guttural moan as she arched her back at the exquisite invasion, hips now bucking against his, orgasmic bliss still washing through her body in shimmering waves.

Slapping one palm down onto the counter, the other gripping her hip, Eric dropped his head onto her shoulder and kept still, taking deep breaths as he struggled to hold himself in check, to keep from ending this impromptu encounter far too soon. When Calleigh wrapped her legs around his waist and ground herself against him, wanting him to move within her, he moaned her name, lifted her from the counter and spun, quickly moving to the plush white throw rug by the tub and laying them both down upon it.

Of all the places they'd made love, the rug on the bathroom floor was a first for them. There had been plenty of activity in the shower and in the bathtub, and the counter for that matter, but never on this particular rug. With the plush soft fibers against her back and Eric's heated skin against her front, him deep inside her, Calleigh was desperate for more. Skimming her hands in a soft caress down his back, she curved her palms around his perfectly rounded butt cheeks and thrust her hips upward, pleading with him to move.

And move he did, setting a blistering pace as he moved in and out of her luscious body, eliciting a soft cry from her kiss swollen lips with each powerful thrust. With one hand bracing himself beside her head, he sent his other hand to her thigh, moving it higher on his waist before gliding down to cup her firm butt in his palm, bringing himself that much deeper and now drawing throaty moans from the beautiful blonde beneath him.

Wrapping her other leg around his waist, Calleigh matched his pace thrust for thrust, leveraging herself by gripping his thighs so that she could grind her herself against him.

Working a hand between their bodies, Eric wrapped his fingers around one breast and bent his head to lave the other, swirling his tongue around the soft mound before closing his lips around the pebbled peak, and then paying equal attention to the other.

Overcome with emotion at the sighs and moans he elicited from Calleigh, at the graceful way she arched her back, at her beautiful face as she inched closer and closer to the precipice, Eric shifted to lie completely against her body, skin to skin from their feet to their chests. Bracing himself with only one arm, he cupped her cheek with his other hand and kissed her deeply, telling her without words how much he loved her.

Feeling Calleigh's internal muscles flutter around him, knowing she was close, Eric slowed the pace and let his hips roll gently against hers as he separated from her lips to trail wet kisses across her cheek and down her neck, sucking a deep kiss to her pulse point, and smirking when he felt her heart beat faster. Laving kisses across her neck to that spot just beneath her ear, he whispered to her again in Spanish, telling her how much he loved her, how much she meant to him, and to let go. Capturing her lips once again, he kissed her deeply, swallowing her cries as she came hard around him.

With the feel of her muscles contracting against his length, Eric grunted and picked up the pace, hips pumping faster when Calleigh shifted her legs even higher against his waist, bringing his own blistering climax hurtling through him. He spilled himself inside her as his hips continued to roll, eventually slowing to a stop and collapsing on top of Calleigh's still trembling body.

With his heartbeat slowly adopting a more normal rhythm, Eric took several deep breaths, trying to catch his breath as he gazed down at Calleigh, taking in her thoroughly ravished appearance... flushed face, mussed hair, swollen lips, glazed green eyes, breasts heaving as she struggled to catch her breath... it was a vision he never got tired of seeing. The feeling of satisfaction he got from making her like again that had him grinning down at her before dipping his head to press a tender kiss to her lips.

The smile Calleigh gave Eric as the kiss ended would have made him weak in the knees if he'd been standing. "Eric... that was...," whispered breathlessly, taking a few breaths as she tried to put into words what she felt, and coming up with the three words that had taken her a while to be able to say to him, but once she had, she never held them back again. Giving him that same knee weakening smile again, she murmured softly, "I love you," then turned that smile impish, "But you do realize I'll have to take a shower again, before we can leave for dinner."

Eric could only smirk down at her. Pressing his lips to hers once again in a quick kiss, a thank you for her declaration of love, he separated their lips by only the distance needed to gaze into her glazed emerald eyes. "No you don't... just put those clothes back on," he told her, nodding toward the pile of clothing between the counter and the shower, "… and brush your hair." He studiously ignored her now wide eyed look of disbelief. "And maybe re-do that lipstick," he suggested kindly, smoothing his thumb across her red lipstick-smeared lips.

"Eric!" Calleigh exclaimed incredulously. "I cannot... we just made love and you are all over me..." She paused when she took note of Eric's smirk and the chuckle that was dying to bust past his lips, the way his breath hitched as he struggled not to laugh. He was playing her. He knew damn good and well she'd need to shower again after making love, that she just couldn't get up and get re-dressed. Although he would disagree, her own sense of what constituted an acceptable appearance in public, much less for a date with your boyfriend, prevented her from doing so. She was a mess, not to mention the makeup she'd applied earlier was now smeared and somewhat non-existent due to the perspiration that coated their cooling bodies.

Turning the tables, she smirked right back up at him. "This is your fault, you know." With a devilish grin she punctuated her teasing accusation with a deliberate and rhythmic contraction of her internal muscles against his length, contracting and relaxing the muscles several times, until his eyes widened and his nostrils flared.

He was beginning to harden again inside her. Giving her a taste of her own medicine, in one swift movement he slipped almost the entire way out and drove himself back inside with a strong thrust, drawing a wide-eyed look and an "oh" from her beautiful lips. "I'm sorry," he said as he stilled, then corrected himself, "No, I'm not sorry. I just can't resist you," he added with a grin as his palm coasted from her hip down the outside of her thigh and back up to her side, his thumb grazing the swell of a breast.

"Eric," she admonished, though the soft smile that curved her lips told him that she really didn't mean to get after him, "I was just standing there doing my hair. I wasn't even _half_ undressed."

He quirked an eyebrow as he gazed down at her, telling her with his eyes what he wasn't verbalizing, the soft smile on his lips melting her further into the carpet, what part of her that hadn't already melted with the toe-curling lovemaking they'd finished mere moments before. It didn't matter what she was wearing, whether she was fully clothed, naked, or just wearing lingerie… he wanted her. He wanted her with a passion he was sure he'd never quench, a passion he never _wanted _to quench.

"What can I say," Eric whispered softly before bending his head to capture her lips in a kiss that was tender, heartfelt. Calleigh's soft whimper resonated in the bathroom as Eric broke the kiss to check the time on his watch. He smiled wryly at her, "Um… if we don't get to the restaurant within the next 30 minutes, our chances of getting a table out on the patio will be slim. So it looks like a shower is out of the question."

Catching the pout he always found completely adorable (and one he deliberately tried to draw out of her from time to time), he pressed another quick kiss to her lips and offered a compromise. "How about we make ourselves decent here and I'll cook you dinner. We can grab a bottle of wine and eat in bed... just the two of us."

Calleigh's smile of acceptance was contagious, spreading to Eric as soon as it crossed her beautiful face. Truthfully, she would much rather spend time alone with him in the privacy of their own home, rather than out in public with strangers. "Sounds like a great idea," she murmured before he shifted, separating their bodies and lifting himself off of her.

As soon as Eric helped her up, Calleigh moved to the pile of clothing and extracted his black shirt, slipping it on and buttoning it up as he grinned at her and slipped on his boxer shorts, then went to retrieve a t-shirt from his chest of drawers. Leaving the rest of their clothing where they'd landed, Eric picked her up in his arms and carried her to the kitchen, navigating her house blindly since she'd pressed her lips to his the moment she'd wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist.

After depositing Calleigh gently upon the counter and softly ending the kiss, Eric smiled at her then moved to the wine rack that sat on the opposite counter, selecting a 2004 Cabernet before moving back to her side. Since he wasn't taking her out to dinner as he'd planned, he figured one of the more expensive bottles from their collection was called for.

With a quirk of his eyebrow, Eric separated her thighs, not to step between them as he had many a time, but to open the drawer beneath her legs and remove the wine bottle opener. Lips curved into a smile because they both knew he could have simply moved both her thighs to one side, Calleigh didn't miss a beat as she turned to open the cabinet next to her head and took out two wine glasses, setting them down on the counter next to them.

Momentarily distracted by the view he got of her bare hips as her... his... shirt shifted with her body as she turned, Eric paused in the act of opening the bottle, hand poised over the tool's handle, tongue slipping out to lick his now parched lips.

Tilting her head to the side, lips curving into a knowing smile, she gently tapped his hand, bringing him out of his carnal reverie. Busted, Eric merely winked before extracting the cork from the bottle and pouring the wine into both glasses and handing her one.

Taking a slow sip of her wine, Calleigh watched as Eric moved to the pantry and began setting items onto the kitchen island, finally deducing that he was making them a pizza of some sort, judging by the round ready-made pizza crust he'd settled next to various ingredients.

As she continued to sip from the glass of wine he'd poured for her, Calleigh began to think back on why they weren't going out to dinner, a dinner he'd planned more than a week ago. They'd made love that morning, having lain in bed until almost noon, and she had no doubt that lovemaking was definitely in the plans when they returned from the restaurant, but him coming to her as she was putting the finishing touches on her hair and laying her down on the rug... that had been spontaneous.

There were plenty of times where making love was a given, certainly to conclude a date night or to start a weekend morning off right, but it was the times he laid her down unexpectedly and initiated lovemaking that told her their love would never get old or routine. It also told her how much he loved her, how much he utterly desired her.

Theirs was an undeniable attraction from the start, and that attraction only grew stronger and brighter as time went by, until neither of them was able to deny it any longer. And when they had finally given in to that attraction, it had nearly exploded on a public beach where they'd gone for a walk in the evening, and could have ended in their arrest for indecent exposure before they came to their senses and hurried back to her place, almost not quite making it through her front door before he had his hand inside her panties. And the flame had never been extinguished, never would if that evening had been any indication to her.

One of the things she loved about the man standing mere feet from her as he prepared an impromptu dinner for her was their spontaneous lovemaking. Just that previous Monday morning he'd interrupted her as she was flipping pancakes for his breakfast, taking the spatula from her before opening her robe to look his fill, to trace her curves with his fingertips. Then he'd taken her against the refrigerator door, robe hanging limply from her arms... and they'd ended up eating cold cereal for breakfast that morning, not that he minded she was sure.

Lips poised on the lip of her wine glass, Calleigh smiled as she recalled the time two months prior when he'd cornered her in the deserted locker room at work and kissed her soundly, letting his hands wander underneath her shirt to caress bare skin. That time they'd both gotten carried away, and when he'd kissed her, she'd responded just as fervently. When he'd hoisted her up against the lockers, she'd had a moment of clarity (although it may have been due to the locker handle pressing into her backside) and realized they'd both lost sight of where they were. Quickly straightening their clothing, smoothing their hair (well, her hair), they'd practically run to his car. But the ride home had been fraught with a sexual tension so thick that it ended with Eric turning onto a dark dirt road where they'd made love right then and there on the front hood of his car.

As the same rush of warmth and desire that had consumed her that afternoon in the locker room washed over her again, Calleigh silently thanked God she'd actually worn a dress to work that day. Tilting the glass away from her lips and lowering it to her lap, she quietly called out his name in that soft Southern accent that never failed to send a tingle up Eric's spine, immediately grabbing his attention, "Eric." He raised his head to gaze at her, rubber spatula poised over the pizza as he spread the sauce to the edges of the crust. "I love you," she murmured to him in that same soft manner, unknowingly melting him where he stood.

Eric's smile was instantaneous, and laying the spatula down on the counter he rounded the corner of the kitchen island and moved between Calleigh's thighs, loving the way she immediately wrapped her legs around his waist. Still smiling, he lifted the glass of wine from her hand and placed it on the counter beside them. Chocolate brown tagged and held emerald green as he laid his palms on her thighs and slid them slowly under the tails of the shirt. Gently grasping her bare hips he pulled her closer, kissing her deeply, every bit of the love he returned to her conveyed in the meshing of their lips, the teasing tangle of tongues, the soft sighs and murmurs that filled the air.

After slowly separating their lips he leaned in for a second kiss as his touch drifted from her hips down her thighs to her hands. Linking his fingers with hers, he leaned in for yet a third sweet loving kiss before moving back to the pizza.

Taking a long sip of the wine to quench the heat that continued to build within her as she watched the muscles in Eric's arms move as he spread pieces of cooked chicken across the pizza, Calleigh remembered how he'd looked that evening they'd gone for a stroll on the beach mere weeks ago. He'd had on his University of Miami t-shirt and a pair of well worn jeans, and she'd worn a brand new deep green sundress, her sandals held in her fingers as they walked along the water line, stopping every so often so she could pick up seashells. The sun had set more than twenty minutes prior, moonlight the only light that guided their steps, when Eric suddenly turned and swept her up into his arms, and walking several paces away from the water's edge, he laid her gently down in the sand, wasting no time in covering her body with his, covering her lips with his. They'd kissed and kissed and kissed, hands wandering under hems, waistbands, and shirts as they slowly made love under the stars on the beach, keeping as much of their clothes on as possible to avoid sand in places sand wasn't meant to be. Later, as they'd put themselves back together, Eric had grinned at her and told her that her dress reminded him of the green bikini she'd worn on their first diving date... a date during which he'd untied that bikini from her body before they'd made love on their rented boat.

She could spend days remembering the times he'd spontaneously initiated lovemaking, but she couldn't deny she'd spontaneously initiated it just as much as he had. Eric was a gorgeous man; he was the epitome of tall, dark, and sexy. Combined with the wonderful way he treated her, the way he loved her, there were times she couldn't keep her hands... and her lips... off of him. Just last week she'd woke at quarter past three in the morning and climbed on top of him, riding him for half an hour before finally collapsing against his chest, both of them fully sated and so exhausted they'd slept through the alarm and slipped in the back door of the lab, uncharacteristically late for work.

And there was the time she'd found him shirtless, clad in just his cargo shorts as he cleaned her pool with a net. For several long minutes she'd watched his muscles ripple as he grasped the long pole and moved the net too and fro to catch leaves and bugs, and then it was just too much. She'd removed her own clothes, leaving them on the patio where she stood and catching him completely off guard when her nude body dove into the pool and surfaced right in front of him. It'd taken five seconds for him to drop the pole... and his shorts... to join her for a romp in the pool. Every pool boy fantasy she'd ever had came to life that day.

As she envisioned that encounter, Calleigh's mind drifted to the patio that surrounded the pool and a shiver traversed her spine as she recalled a similar Saturday afternoon before the romp in the pool when she'd been catching some rays on one of the thick-cushioned chaise lounges that sat beside the pool...

_It had been a bright sunny Saturday, not too hot and not too humid, when Calleigh decided it was too nice outside to spend it indoors doing chores... chores that she usually did on the weekends since her weekdays were far too busy with work. Well... work and spending time in the evening with Eric. Donning a black bikini and arming herself with a sufficient SPF sunscreen, she joined Eric for a swim in the pool before laying on the chaise lounge to soak up the sun. _

_Knowing full well she would need a fresh application of sunscreen as she laid out in the sun, Eric climbed from the pool and without bothering to dry himself with a towel, moved to Calleigh's side and perched himself on the edge of the lounge. Laying a warm palm against her back, he grinned at her and kindly offered to apply sunscreen to her pale skin. "Wouldn't want you to burn," he told her as she settled herself on her stomach. _

_With a calculating smile Calleigh couldn't see, Eric first slipped loose the string at her neck then the one that held the bikini top closed across her back. Holding the bottle of 35 SPF over her back, he drizzled the sunscreen over her back, chuckling at the way she wriggled when the cooler cream hit her warm back. "Relax," he told her as he began to smooth the creamy white substance into her pale skin._

_Having felt more than heard Calleigh's deep sigh as his hands kneaded the substance into her back, Eric pressed his fingers just a little harder into her muscles and smiled when she moaned lightly. When his fingers reached her lower back he smirked and slid his fingertips just under the hem of her bikini bottoms. Unable to help himself and using both hands, he slipped loose the ties that held the bottoms against her backside, letting the strings fall toward the patio floor. _

_At the feel of the tied knots tugging against her hips, Calleigh's eyes blinked open and she shifted her head to look back at him just as he peeled back the black material and laid it between her thighs. "Eric!" she whispered, eyes wide, but the fact that she didn't slap at his hands told him she really didn't mind._

_Still, he felt the need to whisper back, "Shhhh," as his warm palms settled over her beautiful derriere, squeezing the cheeks gently and drawing a soft moan from her lips. Moving his hands to her hips he lightly trailed his palms up her sides until his fingertips brushed the swell of her breasts, loving the way she squirmed sensually at his touch. His arousal began to build as he gazed at her now naked backside, as he watched her squirm under his palms. Unconsciously licking his lips, he bent to press a kiss to her lower back as he trailed his fingers in a slow caress back down her sides to her thighs._

_A tingle went up Calleigh's spine as the thought ran through her mind that what he was doing, what he was starting was dangerous, forbidden. He had her practically naked on her back patio, and she was enjoying it. They'd never… she'd never… done anything like this before and it only served to heighten her arousal tenfold. _

_The feel of his fingertips caressing concentric circles on the inside of her thighs, each circle inching closer and closer to her heat, had her whimpering, had her involuntarily shifting, spreading her thighs apart a little wider... at least, she'd _claim_ it was involuntary. And she couldn't help the soft cry that escaped her lips when his fingertips brushed against the fast-building heat between her thighs. _

_"Calleigh," Eric murmured as he shifted, voice thick with arousal, swimming trunks now a few sizes too small. Cupping her right hip in one hand and laying his other hand against her right arm, he tugged lightly on her body. Knowing exactly what he wanted, and suddenly wanting the same thing too, Calleigh shifted, turning over onto her back, squinting at the sunshine until he graciously shifted, blocking the direct sunlight from her face. "You are so beautiful," he murmured thickly as he gazed down at her nude body, bathing suit all but forgotten. _

_The warmth that spread through Calleigh at the look of love and desire in his brown eyes sent a rush of moisture straight to her core and had her arching toward him, his name breathlessly leaving her lips, arms reaching for him. _

_Not breaking the contact between their eyes, Eric stood long enough to drop his swimming trunks to the ground before straddling the beautiful curves beneath him, covering Calleigh's body with his, but bracing himself with his forearms on either side of her head. Cupping her cheeks between his palms, fingers fanning out through her hair, he bent his head to capture her lips in a kiss that was soft yet hard, lusty yet restrained, and hot enough to bring soft mewling sounds from Calleigh's throat_ as _her tongue meshed with his_.

_Eric settled himself between her thighs as they kissed and kissed, neither coming up for air until oxygen became a necessity. Sucking in air, he trailed his lips down the column of her throat, pausing to suckle at her pulse point and chuckle at the deep moan his action produced. Shifting slightly he continued his sensual trek downward to the valley between her breasts, pausing only momentarily before feasting on his second favorite part of her luscious curves._

_The feeling of being with Eric like this, outside on their back patio in broad daylight heightened Calleigh's arousal. She writhed beneath him as he continued his sensual assault, alternately whimpering, moaning, and softly crying out until she couldn't take it anymore. "Eric, please," she whined, not the least bit embarrassed to plead with him to finally make them one. _

_Holding her green eyes with his, Eric shifted and gave Calleigh what she so desperately needed, his breath quickening at the graceful way she arched beneath him, at the way her lips parted as a soft moan pushed past, at the way her eyes darkened to a deep emerald green. __They made love slowly, sensually, both wanting to draw out the emotional connection they felt when physically joined, the intensity of their feelings surging as they moved._

_They climaxed quietly (lest the neighbors catch on to their activities), one right after the other, and lay in each others arms until heartbeats calmed, until breaths evened out, until Calleigh could feel the sun baking her skin where Eric's body didn't cover it. _

The sound of the oven door closing brought Calleigh out of her reverie and she smiled as one thought crossed her mind... thank God for privacy fences. Spontaneous lovemaking was great, but spontaneous lovemaking on the back patio, or in the pool, indescribable.

Her smile widened as Eric crossed the kitchen and moved between her thighs, his hands immediately sliding beneath her shirt to cup her bare hips. Grasping his cheeks gently in her palms, she leaned into him and pressed her lips to his, kissing him deeply, letting him know without words that she loved him beyond measure.

The stolen moments they shared, the spontaneity they indulged in, the times they devoted to just themselves told her they would always be like this. They'd never end up stale, or grow apart as so many couples did, so long as they always indulged in a little spontaneity, so long as they always took time to just be them. And fifteen minutes later when they made their way back to their bedroom with the pizza on a large plate, the bottle of wine and two glasses, Calleigh vowed that the spontaneity in their relationship would _never _end.


	4. The Best Bandage

I didn't set out for this to be as long as it is, but I just can't help myself when writing Eric & Calleigh and I think most of you would agree that, that's not such a bad thing, right?! Thank you to MomentarySetback for being a huge help when I got stuck on a certain part.

The Best Bandage

...

Kit in hand, Calleigh sighed as she stepped through the front door of a vacant house, Ryan right on her heels. The house itself had been abandoned for more than a year, left with all manner of debris - trash, construction debris and torn up personal property... as if the owners had been trying to renovate the home and just simply gave up when the money pit of a house became too much. Dust, dirt, trash, 2x4 boards, plywood, torn up furniture and clothing littered the house. That and the evidence of the murder that had taken place the evening before.

The medical examiner had just left with the body and Frank Tripp milled around outside with a couple officers, canvassing the neighbors for anyone that might have seen something. Knowing it was going to take a lot of work to find evidence amongst all the debris in the house, Calleigh frowned as she looked at her watch. She hadn't had breakfast yet and this crime scene was going to take hours to process. But, she was Calleigh Duquesne and if there was one thing people couldn't say about her, it was that she backed away from challenging work.

"I'll take down here," Calleigh informed her partner, eyes zeroing in on blood smears on a door across the room.

"Okay." Ryan took a moment to quickly survey the area before turning back to her, "You know, the upstairs is probably not as much of a mess as down here... why don't you let me take this and you can have the second floor?"

"Thanks, but I think I can handle this," Calleigh replied as she made her way across the room. "Besides," she called back over her shoulder, "I'll pull my seniority card at a really gory crime scene... this is just debris and dust."

"I'm sure you will," Ryan mused under his breath as he made his way to the stairs.

Carefully stepping over several boards, Calleigh set her kit down and slipped on gloves as she surveyed the door and the area around it. After taking several pictures of the spatter she carefully went over the entire area with the penlight and began to gather samples of the blood for Valera's DNA analysis. Just as she turned to place several samples in her kit, a noise in the room on the other side of the door startled her and she looked up, briefly wondering if one of the officers had entered the house through a back door. Dropping the evidence into her open kit, she reached out for the door knob with her left hand as her right reached for the gun at her hip. The gun didn't even make it out of her holster before the door slammed open with a force hard enough to lift her off her feet, flinging her backward against the wall behind the door.

Calleigh screamed as she was propelled backward, reaching out with her arms to break the fall as her body hit the debris-littered floor, forehead still managing to strike the edge of a 2x4 board. In a daze, she weakly lifted her head just in time for her fuzzy vision to detect a large man in what appeared to be combat fatigues stumble loudly over the debris. Eyes dutifully following him, she watched him make a break for the front door before she finally succumbed to the haziness creeping into her field of vision and passed out.

Scared out of his mind for the formidable yet diminutive woman, Frank ran toward the front door of the house as the two officers ran after the large burly man. He could hear the officers shout at the man to stop as he barreled through the door, almost colliding with Ryan, who'd come charging down the stairs.

Frank's heart nearly stopped at the sight of Calleigh lying motionless on the ground. Jump starting his heart to a pounding level with a cry of her name, he ran to her side, trying not to trip over the construction debris himself. Close behind him, Ryan followed, uttering a ripe curse as he whipped out his cell phone to call for an ambulance.

...

Eric looked up from the fingerprint evidence he'd been poring over for the past hour when Horatio slipped silently through the lab door. If it weren't for the soft sound the door made as it opened and then closed, he wouldn't have known the man had entered the room. His boss moved gracefully and quietly, often appearing behind a person when they least expected it, and scaring the hell out of them in the process.

Setting the magnifying glass down beside the tencard, he watched as Horatio moved up to the other side of the table and stood facing him, but gazing at an an unknown spot on the wall to the right of the table as he fiddled with his sunglasses.

"H, what is it?" he chuckled, wondering why he wasn't just coming out with it.

"Eric," Horatio murmured softly, "Eric, I um... I need you to go pick up Calleigh from Dade Memorial."

"Okaaay." Eric replied as he began to put up the evidence. "Ryan accidentally leave her there?"

Horatio barely cracked a smile at Eric's quip. Still gazing at the wall he answered the question, "No. No Eric... she was taken there."

Eric's reaction was immediate. Dropping the evidence box back onto the table, he looked up at Horatio. "H, what the hell happened?" His heart was now pounding, fear coursing through his veins at the knowledge that Calleigh had been taken to the hospital and not knowing why or just how badly she was hurt.

Horatio merely sighed and turned his head to look at Eric. "Eric, she's fine..."

As much as he loved and respected his boss and former brother-in-law, his habit of being vague could and occasionally did get irritating. Pulling information from him could sometimes be like pulling teeth from a hungry tiger. Eric was already pulling off his lab coat when the exasperation came out in his tone, "Damn it, H. Tell me why she's there!"

Looking back at the wall, Horatio informed him softly, "Calleigh was knocked down when a suspect attempted to flee the crime scene, Eric." He looked up as the door to the lab clicked softly when it closed behind Eric. "I'll take care of the evidence," he murmured, a smile lifting his lips.

...

The young nurse's aide working the reception desk in the Dade Memorial Emergency Room looked up with wide eyes at the tall man charging toward her. She could see the wild anxious look on his face and in his eyes, as he approached her. Taking a step backward as the man laid his palms on the ledge and leaned toward her, she opened her mouth to greet him with the politeness that was required, but all that came out was an undignified squeak.

"Where is Calleigh Duquesne?" Eric demanded, anxiety pouring off him in waves.

"I... I, she's..." was all the young girl could get out as she shrank back from the scary wide-eyed man, her eyes flitting toward the computer that sat directly beneath the counter where Eric was currently glaring at her.

"Where is she?" Eric again demanded, this time slapping the counter in utter frustration. He was desperate to find Calleigh, to know if she was okay, and as each second ticked by without him not seeing her, he was just one step closer to losing it.

"Eric!" a very familiar voice called out behind him.

Eric whipped around, the wild look on his face relaxing slightly at the sight of an old friend rushing toward him. "Alexx!" he called out, "Where is she? H said she..."

"Calm down, Baby," Alexx interrupted as she grabbed his arm, intending to lead him away from the reception area before he could cause a scene. "I'll take you to her." Alexx looked apologetically at the young woman as she turned Eric toward the Emergency Room bays.

Eric's breathing calmed just a smidgen as Alexx led him through a door while telling him softly what happened at the crime scene and that Calleigh was going to be just fine. Alexx Woods had a way with people, especially with the people she loved, and Eric was no exception. Her words and soft tone had calmed him a little more, but he still wouldn't rest, his heartbeat wouldn't slow to a normal rhythm until he'd seen it with his own eyes.

As they rounded a corner Eric's eyes alighted on a row of curtains that surrounded the Emergency Room nurses station. His chocolate brown eyes pierced each curtain as he scanned the semi-circular row of bays, as if he were Superman with x-ray vision and would be able to easily see his girlfriend on the other side of the curtains.

Since he wasn't Superman and couldn't see through the curtains, Eric wrenched his arm from Alexx's grip and stalked toward the first curtain he came to.

Just as he reached a hand up to slide the curtain back, Alexx's sharp voice cut into his determined mission, her remarkably strong grip landing on his arm and pulling him back. "Eric!" she exclaimed as she pulled his arm away from the curtain, eyes softening at the stark look of worry on his face. She admonished him with a soft mother's tone as she pointed to a curtain three bays over, "She's over there."

Eyes following Alexx's finger, the words hadn't even finished leaving her mouth before Eric was practically running toward the curtain that shielded his injured girlfriend from his view.

...

Calleigh looked up as the curtain in front of her was yanked back with a force that should have had the curtain eyelets weeping in pain. As her eyes alighted on a very wide-eyed Eric, Calleigh could only stare mutely; suddenly unable to form words, eyes inexplicably filling with tears.

"Calleigh," Eric breathed as he rushed to her side, eyes immediately zeroing in her tussled hair, the dirt and dust on her white tank top, the dirty and tattered black jacket that sat next to her on the bed, the sling on her left arm, and the gauze bandage on her forehead. Gently and chastely he explored her body for more injuries, his hands flitting over her thighs, arms, sides, and finally her back as he peered over her shoulder, not missing the way her tiny hand reached between their bodies to lightly grasp onto his shirt. Eyes searching her face, he brought his hands around and cupped her cheeks in his palms, then gently drew his fingers through her hair as he searched her head for injuries.

"I'm fine, Eric," Calleigh told him softly, her voice thick with emotion, blinking rapidly to keep the damnable tears from falling.

Eric's features visibly relaxed when he decided that she wasn't any more injured than what his eyes had initially taken in. Stepping between her legs, chocolate brown studied watery green as he raised his fingertips to her eyes and brushed his thumbs lightly over her eye lashes, gathering the moisture that had not fallen and gently wiping away the tears he knew she'd rather die than have fall until they were in the privacy of her home.

Fixing her with a gentle look, he carefully lifted the tape that held the gauze bandage closed over the gash, seeing the wound for the first time. Again he breathed her name, only this time with a distinct amount of agony in his tone.

Calleigh's eyes studied Eric's as he took in the wound, noting the way his eyes widened and his lips parted, the way his expression went from one of shared pain to one of utter rage. And she knew in that moment that he wanted to personally take out the man that had done this to her, and would do it with his bare hands. "Eric," she murmured quietly, raising a hand to his cheek. "Don't... Frank and Horatio will take care of him."

Knowing she was right and thankful for it, despite his desire to take care of the matter himself, he closed the bandage. With a deep sigh he draped one arm around her shoulders, pulling her carefully into his embrace, and settling his other hand on her thigh as he pressed a light kiss over the gauze.

Wrapping her good arm around his waist, Calleigh leaned into his embrace, burying her face in his chest as best she could and taking deep breaths to quell the tears. She mentally cursed herself for that, as it was only when he appeared that she had the inexplicable urge to cry. Before Eric she'd taken care of herself when she was hurt, and used to pride herself that she didn't need anyone to take care of her, least of all a man. But then along came Eric, who went and made himself important in her life, more important than any other man ever had before, so much so that it made her _want_ to tear down all the walls she kept up for everyone else.

Through everything that had happened - falling back against the debris, spraining her arm in the process and earning herself a nice gash on her forehead - she'd kept it together, fighting through the pain as she normally did, initially refusing a trip to the hospital in the ambulance. And yet it was when Eric appeared that her emotions sprang forth. She knew it was because he'd slowly but surely broken down all the walls of defense she'd put up in her life, the walls that guarded her heart, kept it safe from hurt. Before, she hadn't needed, hadn't wanted anyone to care for her... but now, Calleigh wanted to share her pain and her fears with Eric, just as he'd done with her. Now, she craved that deep emotional intimacy she shared with him, and had shared with him for more than a year.

She'd first experienced the caring and nurturing side of Eric after she'd been kidnapped, when he'd taken her home and stayed with her through the long night, a night filled with sleeplessness, and nightmares when she did find sleep. It had been then that she realized he was the one person she could count on to always be there, the one person she could let into her carefully guarded heart. And it was then that she realized her feelings for him ran far deeper than mere coworker to coworker, or friend to friend. Somewhere along the way she'd fallen in love with him. And then she'd been hospitalized with adult respiratory distress and was treated to an even deeper side of his love for her. He'd stayed with her in the hospital as much as he could, arguing with the nurses that he should be able to stay after visiting hours were over. And after she'd been released, he'd stayed with her to nurse her back to health... and never left. Although he kept his own condo, he'd spent every night with her since then.

Through it all, through everything, he'd been her calm _after_ the storm, her rock. So while she had never wanted this amount of caring and coddling from anyone else, she wanted it from him, needed it from him. So much so that the mere sight of him after a traumatic event had her instinctively letting down her shield to accept his love and care.

"What happened?" Eric murmured, pressing a second kiss to the top her mussed blonde locks as his hand rubbed soothing circles on her back.

Calleigh shrugged against his chest, whimpering slightly when her injured arm reminded her she was hurt. "I don't really know what happened. It's all kind of fuzzy." She paused, breathing deeply for a few moments before finally throwing her good hand up in surrender, "I don't know. I had just collected some blood samples and next thing I know I'm hitting the ground."

Eric pulled back, taking her hand in his and looking into her eyes, searching them for any sign of discomfort. "Are you in pain?"

Under his scrutiny her eyes began to well with tears again and she blinked rapidly to clear them away. Clearing her throat, she answered him honestly, "My um... my head hurts a little and my arm..."

They looked up as a young physician, stethoscope around his neck, opened the curtain and stepped inside the small area. Eric looked at the doctor warily, wondering if he was fresh out of medical school or still a med student... and wondering if the doctor was going to force him to leave Calleigh's side. Schooling his features into a look that said he definitely would NOT leave her side, he dropped Calleigh's hand and stepped from between her legs, moving to her side and laying his palm warmly against her thigh.

Eric listened intently as the doctor gave Calleigh instructions - she was to wear the sling for four weeks, taking it off only to shower, and come back in two weeks to have the stitches removed from her forehead. He asked her if she had any questions, but it was Eric that spoke up first.

"Aren't you going to give her a prescription for something? Some painkillers? Can't you see she's in pain?"

"Because she didn't break any bones, she probably doesn't need any prescription meds." He turned to Calleigh and added, "On a scale of one to ten..."

He hadn't finished the question before both answered at the same time.

"Five," Calleigh answered firmly.

"Twelve," Eric blurted, ready to revoke the doctor's license to practice medicine.

Giving Eric a placating smile, the doctor turned to Calleigh, "Over the counter Ibuprofen should take care of it. However, if you feel you need..."

Eric was incredulous. "She needs..."

"Eric, you listen to Doctor Bradley," that familiar voice piped up from behind him for the second time that day. "If he says she doesn't need painkillers, she doesn't need painkillers."

Eric turned around to find Alexx Woods standing inside the curtained area, hands on her hips, a stern look on her face. He had the decency to look contrite. "Yes ma'am," he told her with a smile before turning back toward the doctor, the smile no longer on his face.

Laying her hand over his, Calleigh assured him with a soft, "I'll be okay, Eric." She turned to the doctor, smiling apologetically, "I've got Ibuprofen at home, that'll be fine."

Searching her eyes, Eric finally relented and looked back at Alexx. "Can she go now?"

"As soon as she signs these papers," Alex informed him, handing a clipboard to Calleigh. She watched as Eric steadied the clipboard on the bed so that Calleigh could use her good hand to sign the papers.

When she was done, Eric gently gripped Calleigh's right arm and helped her down. Wincing as her sling-bound arm throbbed with her movement from the bed, Calleigh whimpered and instinctively reached out and gripped Eric's shirt. Without hesitation, he pressed his lips to her temple, whispering softly to her as his hand slipped underneath her tank top to lie warmly and soothingly against her back. Calleigh closed her eyes and breathed deeply several times, concentrating on the words Eric whispered to her.

Taking in the sight of Eric pressing a kiss to Calleigh's temple, his hand laying intimately against her back as he whispered to her, warmed Alexx's heart. Knowing that two of her favorite people had finally come together, and so obviously loved each other beyond measure, made her immensely happy. With a knowing smile she laid a palm against Eric's shoulder. "Baby, you take our girl home and see to it that she gets some rest."

...

After pulling into Calleigh's driveway, Eric cut the engine to his car and turned to find her asleep, head tilted to the side and facing him. His heart had been both warmed and somewhat broken when, after settling her in his car, he'd glanced over at her and found tears in her eyes once again. As he'd leaned over to press his lips lovingly to hers, a tear slipped free and slid down her beautiful face. Gently, softly, he'd reached out to brush the tear away with a fingertip. "We'll be home soon," he'd whispered. And for the rest of the ride home, his palm had lain against her thigh, her hand gripping his until sleep loosened her grip.

As quietly as he could, Eric got out of the car and making his way over to the passenger side, opened her door. After taking a moment to look his fill at her dusty and disheveled, yet still beautiful self, he leaned in and pressed his lips to her cheek as he unbuckled her seatbelt. "We're home, Baby," he whispered as her eyes fluttered open.

Slightly disoriented, Calleigh squinted as the bright sunlight hit her eyes. Turning her eyes to Eric, she gazed in confusion at him for a few moments before the dull throb in her left arm combined with the dull aching in her head quickly reminded her where she was and what they were doing. Grasping Eric's hand, she carefully swung her legs over and let him gently pull her from his car.

Calleigh swayed a little on her feet as she straightened up, a little mystified by the fact that she was face to face with Eric's chest and not his shoulders. Still just a bit dazed from her short nap, she looked down, suddenly wondering why she was feeling warm concrete beneath her feet. She blinked once, twice, before rolling her eyes and turning back toward the car. "My shoes," she said, her accent deepened by her state of sleepiness.

"I've got them, babe." Eric leaned over and picked up the shoes she'd kicked off her feet as soon as she'd sat down in the car, and with a hand at the small of her back, led her into her home.

After dropping her shoes by the front door, Eric gathered Calleigh into a loose embrace, glad to finally have her home and in one piece. Pressing his lips first to her bandaged forehead and then to her temple, he wrapped one arm around her shoulders, his other hand at her hip, tucking her against his side. When she buried her face against his chest and wrapped her right arm around his waist, when he felt her tiny hand grip his shirt, he dipped his head and pressed his lips to her hair, murmuring to her softly as he brushed her blonde locks back from her face, "You okay?"

Eric felt her shake her head against his chest, felt imperceptible shudders course through her moments before he felt her silent tears bathe his shirt. Heart breaking, he tightened his arm around her shoulder, slipping his hand once again beneath her tank top to lay warmly against her back and continuing to draw his fingers through her hair in a soothing manner.

He stood with her in the foyer just holding her, letting her draw strength from him as she quietly let out the day's events. He was forever thankful that over the years, first as co-workers and friends, then as best friends, and finally, _finally_, as a couple in love, she'd learned to trust him with not only her body and her heart, but with everything else that she was. She trusted and loved him enough to let him see the real her. Not the Calleigh Duquesne that everyone saw at work, but the Calleigh Duquesne that did have moments of weakness, moments where, when they were alone, she let him see how affected she was by events that happened both at work and in their personal lives, moments where she allowed herself to seek comfort from him.

When her quiet tears had subsided, when the trembling stopped, Eric gently eased back and cupped her tear stained face in his palms. He was momentarily entranced by the deep green in her watery eyes and could only stare for a few moments before whispering, "Why don't we get you undressed and into bed so you can rest."

Taking a deep breath, Calleigh shook her head and stepped back from him, but not completely out of his embrace. Absentmindedly she reached out to brush off the drywall dust she'd inadvertently transferred onto his shirt as she shook her head, "No... I feel so dusty and dirty. I just want to shower."

Her large luminous eyes always managed to draw him in, even more so when they were a brighter green with shed or un-shed tears. Holding her gaze, he slipped his hand from beneath her tank top and tucked her mussed hair behind her ears, fingertips brushing the shell of her ear, eliciting a deep shiver down her spine. "Shower it is," he told her, moving one hand down to lay against the small of her back as he turned them toward her bedroom. "Then you rest." The quirk of his eyebrow told her he would not take 'no' for an answer.

Stepping into her bathroom, Calleigh let Eric take charge, smiling softly as he gripped her hips and settled her against the counter before turning to start the shower and putting towels into place. Grasping his own shirt in his hands, he turned back around to her as he slipped the shirt over his head, dropping it to the floor. Her smile widened as he slipped off his jeans and boxers in one smooth motion, leaving them on the growing pile of clothing at their feet. Clearly he meant to shower with her, and she didn't mind one bit.

Fully enjoying the view, Calleigh watched Eric as he stepped back to her and carefully removed the sling from her arm, setting it on the counter behind her. Leaning forward slightly, she pressed a kiss to his lips, drawing his bottom lip between her own before pulling back, but not getting far before he reconnected their lips and laid his palms against her shoulders, drawing the strap of her stretchy tank top down her right arm. Just as Calleigh began to deepen the kiss, he pulled back, quieting her protest with a finger against her lips and a quiet murmur of "I love you." Being extra careful, he drew the strap gently down her left arm and with that knee weakening smile he gave only to her, he slipped his fingers in the top hem of her tank top, slipping the garment down to her hips before squatting to his knees in front of her.

Lips parting as she followed the path of his fingers, Calleigh watched as Eric flipped open the button on her slacks and lowered the zipper, unable to stop the shudder that coursed through her as his fingers brushed her bare skin just above the hem of her panties. It was when he slid his palms to her hips and drew her tank top, slacks, and panties down, sliding his palms over the rounded cheeks of her butt, that a whimper slipped past her lips, had her bucking her hips gracefully toward his body. If he didn't stop removing her clothes in this manner, she was going to want him in the shower, really want him, and that would be hard to accomplish without hurting her arm.

After helping her to step out of her clothes, Eric captured her lips in a light kiss before pushing her gently into the shower, closing the shower door behind them and enveloping them in a world of steam. Holding her gaze, he gathered her long blonde hair, moving it over her shoulder to lay against her front. Then, gripping her hips, he set her under the hot spray and reached up to turn the shower nozzle to a pulsating stream, positioning her body so that the spray pounded down onto her shoulders, but not her left arm. Calleigh's eyes fluttered closed and she uttered a long low moan, rolling her shoulders back as the hot water soothed her aching muscles, wincing when the action pulled on the muscles in her sore arm.

After several minutes of allowing the pounding spray to ease the ache in her muscles, Eric reached up to change the spray to a more gentle rain and tipped her head back underneath the stream of water, running his fingers through her hair as the water soaked her blonde tresses. Squeezing a generous amount of her shampoo into his hands, he began to lather her hair as her palms settled against his hips. Her whimper when the action made her arm throb brought Eric's eyes back to hers. "Careful, baby," he murmured, quirking a sad smile at her.

As he washed her hair, Eric moved his fingers against her scalp in such a soothing massage that Calleigh was lulled into a state of lethargy, almost falling asleep where she stood. When she swayed slightly on her feet, his soft "Babe" and his hand moving to her hips to steady her body had her blinking her eyes back open. With a sheepish smile and a whispered "sorry", she held his gaze as he conditioned her hair, evenly applying the conditioner through her hair before once again moving her head beneath the water to rinse it all down the drain.

Calleigh was in heaven, flat out sink-your-teeth-into-a-decadent-dessert heaven. She was by all means an independent woman, used to taking care of herself, _wanting_ to take care of herself, but she had to admit that she secretly loved being taken care of by the man she loved above all else, and knowing how much he enjoyed it, she allowed him to do it, and allowed herself to sit back and revel in it. Each time she was treated to this side of Eric Delko, she couldn't help but be turned on by it, turned on by the look he got in his eyes as he cared for her... that look of utter adoration and love, and she couldn't help but feel the warm rush of desire inside.

With a gleam in her eyes, she reached up to wrap her arms around his shoulders, immediately feeling the pull in her left arm. Chuckling at her inability to remember not to use that arm, she lowered it then pressed her warm wet body against his, capturing his lips in a kiss that was soft and languid. When Eric's palm settled against her hip once again and he pushed her body back a little, she whimpered softly, seeking to deepen the kiss by sliding her tongue between his lush lips and tightening her grip around his shoulder.

Giving in to her momentarily, Eric wrapped one arm around her waist and kissed her back, but when she began to squirm against him, letting him know what else she had in mind, he separated their lips. "Uh uh," he told her breathlessly, "If we do this here, you could hurt your arm."

Calleigh pouted and Eric found the look so altogether adorable that he almost gave in. Almost. But if there was one thing he wouldn't do, it was anything that could possibly cause her harm. And making love in the shower, he knew from experience with her, would be quite physical, ending with her pressed against the tile wall... and possibly hitting her arm against the tiles. No, they needed to finish the shower and get her arm back in the sling, a new bandage on her forehead, ibuprofen into her body, and her body in her bed. A twinkle in his eyes and a smirk on his lips, Eric shook his head, murmuring only one word as he reached for the shower puff and her bodywash. "No."

"Well this is a first," Calleigh stated with a wry smile on her lips. But she knew better than to attempt to change his mind. When it came to her well being, he could be quite the stickler. Besides, he was right, she thought with a sly smile, if they did make love here in the shower, she probably would hurt her arm.

Contrary to his thoughts a few moments ago about finishing the shower so she could get her arm back into a sling, Eric began moving the soapy puff over her curves with slow strokes. He'd never been able to rush when showering with Calleigh, not even when they showered together before work, and now was no exception. He found he simply couldn't help but admire her curves as he ran the puff over them, becoming completely distracted at the sight of the soapy bubbles as they ran down her soft skin. Consequently he was unable to make a quick task of it. And consequently, he was riling Calleigh, who was now breathing heavily, hips beginning to undulate slowly against his hands.

Trying her best to tamp down on her desire for him, she watched with heavily lidded eyes as he squatted to run the soapy puff over and around her legs, skirting her sex with the puff, but not with his eyes. Taking a deep breath, she sent a hand down to grasp his wrist. "Eric," she rasped breathlessly, pausing to clear her throat when he raised his eyes to her, "You're gonna have to stop."

With an impish grin he pressed a kiss to the slickened skin of her abdomen and stood back up. "Sorry, babe. I um... couldn't help myself."

"Yes you could," she admonished teasingly as she turned around so he could wash her back and backside. But her movement caused her right elbow to harshly bump against the tile wall, sending pain shooting through her arm.

Calleigh's cry of pain had Eric dropping the soapy puff to the shower floor as his hands flew immediately to her back, bringing her against his chest. "Breathe through it, baby," he murmured, one hand moving to cradle the back of her head as his other hand rose to her injured elbow, lightly drawing his palm over her soft skin in a soothing caress. "Breathe deeply."

Calleigh's good arm wound tight around his waist and she buried her face in his chest, eyes squeezed shut as she took long deep breaths, breathing slowly through the pain.

Eric could feel her trembling as she fought against the pain, occasional whimpers pushing past her lips. He kept her in his embrace for several minutes, until the trembling stopped, the whimpers ceased, and all he felt against him was her even breathing. Dipping his head, he pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. "Let's finish up in here so you can take something."

Shower finished, Eric helped her dry off with the towel he'd slung over the shower door and with a knowing smile and a wandering gaze, helped her slip into a pair of her panties and one of his button-down shirts, being careful with the arm that had finished throbbing only minutes before. He could have brought her the lounge pants & tank top she usually rested in, but he knew she preferred to wear one of his shirts when she was ill, hurt, or just feeling out of sorts. He'd learned this months ago when a small child had been gunned down in a drive by shooting at a neighborhood park. They'd worked the case with the same dogged determination they usually gave to the murder of a child, but when the day had been done and the case put to rest, he'd been called to help with the underwater recovery of a firearm used in a different murder, and she'd gone home alone. When he'd arrived at home, he'd found her curled up on the couch in his shirt, wine glass in hand. She'd told him that since he couldn't be there to help her decompress after such a stressful day, she'd done the next best thing and donned his shirt... and found that wearing it, smelling his scent around her, had calmed her even when he couldn't be there.

After carefully and gently slipping the sling back onto her arm and adjusting the strap just so, Eric sat her on the counter so that he could change the now wet bandage on her forehead. With precision and an innate gentleness where she was concerned, he slowly removed the wet bandage and applied an antiseptic cream, smirking when his light touch against her skin sent a shiver down her spine. Before he helped her down off the counter he placed two ibuprofen tablets into her hand and gave her a glass of water to wash them down with.

Satisfied that she was re-bandaged and medicated, Eric pushed Calleigh toward the bed, softly telling her to go sit and he'd be with her shortly, then disposed of their dirty clothes and dressed in comfortable navy boxers and a grey t-shirt. Climbing onto the bed behind her he settled her easily between his legs and began to draw her comb through her hair, gently working out the tangles as they talked about anything other than work - his mother's newest fascination with the Food Channel and the various cooking shows, his twelve year old nephew's baseball game, and her elderly neighbor's yapping chihuahua.

Hair combed and drying into natural waves, Eric encouraged Calleigh to get under the covers and lay down. After pulling back the comforter and sheets and having her scoot over to his side of the bed, he climbed in after her and settled himself against the pillows on her side, fully enjoying the light scent of her perfume that wafted up as he lay his head on her pillows. "Come here," he murmured, holding his arms out to her, deciding right then and there that he could get used to sleeping on her side of the bed.

Eric's adoring smile beckoned Calleigh as she shuffled her way to his side, and as she maneuvered her way through the sheets & blankets she thought back on all he'd done for her that day, on the sweet, loving, and gentle way he'd cared for her. From the moment he'd appeared at the hospital, his every move, his every thought had been centered on her and her well being. Calleigh had never had anyone care for her in such a manner, never had anyone make her feel as if the sun rose and set on her, never made her feel so cherished, so loved. He'd always been gentle with her, no doubt because she was so much smaller than he was, but she knew it was also borne out of his deep love for her. And tonight she wanted to return that feeling, that love.

Instead of settling herself next to him, Calleigh surprised Eric by straddling his hips, loving the way his hands immediately settled on her thighs. Ignoring his cocked eyebrow, she bent down with a soft smile and kissed him, shifting so that her arm wasn't pinned between their bodies. She captured his lips gently, sucking his bottom lip between hers and nipping gently, before sliding her tongue into the warm cavern of his mouth, whimpering as his familiar taste filled her.

Never one to deny Calleigh when she wanted to kiss him, Eric indulged her, returning the kiss, tangling his tongue with hers but mindful that they shouldn't go too far. The last thing he wanted was for her to hurt herself again if they got too aroused, too energetic. Taking her lip between his and sucking gently, he began to ease out of the kiss but was sent into a sensory overload when Calleigh shifted, grinding herself against him.

Heat slammed through Eric's body, and it took every ounce of strength he possessed to not grab her by the hips and lift her up onto his now hard length, giving in to what he knew she wanted. "Calleigh," he gasped out, gripping her thighs as he struggled for control, "What are you doing?"

"I want you," she murmured, her voice low, her intention clear. Emphasizing what she wanted, she ground herself against him again, watching as his eyes rolled back in his head.

Eric swore softly, gripping her thighs a little tighter. "We can't, babe. Your arm..."

"Will be fine."

"... could easily get jostled around, like it did in the shower," he continued, firm in his belief that she'd be hurt in some way.

"No," she murmured, shaking her head. "That won't happen since I'm up here. We'll take it slow and easy... like that time we made love out back in the chaise lounge," she added for measure, watching as his eyes darkened lustily. She could feel him harden even more beneath her, knew he was close to giving in.

"No, Calleigh... you need to heal first," he told her, trying to sound firm as he gazed into her deep green eyes, but knowing he was failing at it.

Calleigh rose up on her knees and moved just a little bit closer. "The endorphins will help with the pain and healing, don't you think?" she murmured huskily.

"I... you...," he uttered, losing control. His lips parted and his tongue slipped out to lick his parched lips when Calleigh's hand moved to the top button on her, really his, shirt and began to slip the button through. "Yes," he finally murmured, giving in to what they both now wanted and moving his hands in a soft caress from her thighs, up under the shirt to her hips, slipping his fingers into the hem of her panties and drawing them down. Carefully, and with her assistance, he slid them off her, one leg at a time then just as carefully slid his boxers off.

With his hands at her hips, Calleigh moved back and closed her eyes as she slowly settled herself on him. She paused, opening her eyes to hold his darkened gaze as they savored the sensation of being one. The vision his eyes beheld had Eric struggling not to end it too soon, for even with a sling on her arm she was a picture as she sat astride him, wet hair drying in natural waves, lips parted in a soft demure smile.

Nimble fingers reached up to slip loose the buttons on the shirt she still wore, parting the fabric so that he could see her breasts; there was no way Eric could make love with Calleigh and _not _be able to see all of her.

Calleigh began to move as Eric's hot gaze moved predictably to her breasts, sliding into a gentle roll of her hips against his, bracing herself with her good arm, her hand against his muscular chest. "Eric," she moaned, because the feeling was so good, so exquisite.

"Calleigh," he returned, drawing out her name as he began to slowly rise and fall beneath her, in perfect rhythm.

Their lovemaking was slow and achingly tender, their unhurried thrusts both delicious and spine tingling. Sighs, whimpers, moans, yeses, don't stops, and oh Gods filled the air around them as they built each other higher and higher. Eric's hands flitted over her thighs, hips, abdomen and breasts as they moved together in unison, in a rhythm that never failed to bring on a blistering release. When he felt her begin to flutter around him, his dark brown eyes tagged her deep green eyes, holding her gaze as he gripped her hips, quickening their pace and sending them both hurtling over the edge.

When their movements slowed, Calleigh looked at Eric through dazed eyes, her right arm trembling as she fought the urge to collapse against his chest, to envelop herself in his embrace. Detecting the slight tremble in her arm and knowing what she wanted, Eric carefully sat up, keeping her in his lap as he slid his arms beneath the shirt and wrapped one around her back, the other around her hips, their bodies angled so that her left arm wasn't caught between them.

Afterglow was in full bloom as Calleigh laid her head on Eric's shoulder, lips lovingly caressing his neck as her body still quaked with little aftershocks. They remained sitting in the middle of the bed, his hand lightly caressing her bare skin as their heartbeats slowed, as their breathing evened out.

...

Calleigh sighed contentedly as she settled herself against the left side of Eric's warm body, tangling their legs and breathing in the scent that was so uniquely him, her left arm, held snugly within the sling, resting between her hip and his stomach. It was a little strange lying on his side of the bed, but any time she was pressed up against his body she felt such a sense of deep contentment that laying on his side of the bed felt only mildly weird. The feel of his fingers lightly combing through her hair combined with the feel of his other hand wrapped around her own hand only added to the sense of contentment and she didn't hold back the second contented sigh.

The day had been a hard one, ending with her arm in a sling and a nice gash on her forehead. But any time she was hurt, or even had any sign of being sick, Eric went into an overprotective mode, doting on her with a care that told her just how much he loved her, adored her, _cherished_ her. With anyone else, that care would have come off as overbearing and irritating to her, but with Eric she loved and enjoyed every minute he was like this with her. It was one of the many things she loved about him - the way his every thought, everything that he said and did, revolved around her and making her feel better. Never in her life had any man ever taken care of her the way Eric did, ever doted on her like he did. And at one time she hadn't been too sure she would have let anyone else do that... at least, not until Eric. He was the one person she knew she could never, would never, do without.

"Feeling okay?" Eric murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"Mmmm, better than okay," Calleigh whispered with a yawn. A smile curving her lips, she pressed a kiss to his bare chest. "You have the best beside manner, Doctor Delko," she added, earning herself a kiss to her lips.

Several minutes passed where nothing was said, there was only the silence and their thoughts, the lingering touches as each ran hands, fingertips, and lips across the bare skin of the other, reveling in the afterglow of their lovemaking.

With a soft contented sign, Calleigh moved her head to rest against Eric's arm so that she could gaze at his face. "Eric," she whispered in that way that never failed to ratchet up his heartbeat.

Turning his head, he brought his hand up to comb his fingers through the soft strands of her now dry hair, moving them back away from her lovely face. "Hmmm?"

She paused for a moment, just staring at him as a slow smile bloomed across her face. "I love you," she finally murmured.

Eric's smile matched hers as he shifted onto his side facing her and dipped his head to press a sweet kiss to her lips. "I love you too, babe," he murmured in return. His smile shifted into a bit of a smirk as he watched as her eyelids fluttered closed and then opened. "Sleep," he whispered, continuing the movement of his fingers through her hair, lulling her to sleep.

When her breathing finally evened out, his eyes roved over her angelic sleeping form, from her wavy blonde hair to her perfect lips, to her small hands peeking out from the sleeve of his shirt, to the sling that her right arm was encased in. Bending once again, he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head and whispered, "I love you so very much, and I will always... _always..._ take care of you." Tucking his head next to hers on her pillow he gave a soft sigh of his own and allowed sleep to claim him as well.


	5. The Little Ways

The Little Ways

Ryan sighed heavily as he turned his attention back to the road in front of him once again. The ride back to the lab was a quiet one, and it was driving him a little crazy. After spending almost three hours gathering evidence at opposite ends of a very large home in Key Biscayne, he was in the mood for some conversation. Normally, Calleigh was much more talkative when they drove around town to and from crime scenes, but today she was being uncharacteristically quiet. Her current demeanor was bugging him, and quite frankly it made the ride boring, especially since they were currently stuck in brutal traffic. Although he normally kept his eyes glued to the road when he drove (because she was the lab's resident crazy driver), every so often he surreptitiously looked over at Calleigh, trying to figure out what was going on with her. He would have thought she was having some kind of problem since she was so quiet, but the lazy smile on the her face told him differently. And it intrigued him to no end.

The look on Calleigh's face was one of utter peace, as if she had no worries at all in the world; it was not the face she usually wore after they'd finished processing an ugly homicide scene. She was smiling, and as they drove the smile grew - grew from an amused smile that just curved her lips upward, to her signature bright Calleigh D smile. He was fairly itching with curiosity when she laid her fingers on her smiling lips and then squirmed in her seat. And several minutes later when she reached for her cell phone and tapped out a short text message, the smile curving her lips widening, and then lay her head back against the head rest with a contented sigh, dazed eyes continuing to stare out the window, he thought he would bust a gut if he couldn't find out what was up with her. Without thinking he turned toward her and almost said her name, but he quickly closed his mouth because he knew his partner and friend would never tell him. That was okay, he'd find out later from Valera. He'd tell Valera about how she was acting, and Valera would get the nitty gritty details. Probably before they all went home for the day.

...

After loading up evidence and their kits into the back of the Hummer, Calleigh threw the keys to the vehicle at Ryan, telling him without words that he could drive, and chuckling softly at the surprised look on the younger man's face. It wasn't often she let him drive, because he drove far too slow for her tastes. Normally she liked to get back to the lab as quickly as they could so that she could begin processing evidence, but this time she only wanted to sit back with her thoughts, thoughts that had repeatedly threatened to distract her as she collected evidence at the crime scene.

After settling herself in the passenger seat, Calleigh rolled down the window a little, enough for the air to send her hair fluttering in the light breeze that blew through. Propping her elbow up on the window ledge, she settled her hand by her head and let her thoughts wander back to the object of her affection... Eric. In the house they'd just finished processing, she'd come across a group of photos in the master bedroom, photos of a man and his wife taken at various points in their lives, and in each of the photos the love between them was very palpable, clearly evident on their faces, in the way they looked at each other. She'd been momentarily distracted by the photos because they'd reminded her of her relationship with Eric, of a photo of them that sat on her bedside table. The picture had been taken by one of Eric's sisters when they were at one of his parent's family dinners, when she'd caught the two of them curled up together on the porch swing, Calleigh almost completely in his lap. They'd been about to kiss, so the picture had captured the look in their eyes as their lips were just about to touch. The looks had been of pure unadulterated love, and Eric had shown her that same unadulterated love the night before and that very morning, and just the very thought of it affected her - her eyes fluttered closed, heart racing and breaths accelerating - before she shook her head and cleared her throat, and her mind.

Although she'd quickly shaken herself out of that distraction and busied herself processing the room, her thoughts of Eric weren't far from her mind. Even as she made her way out of the house her thoughts were back on him and for the time being, she wanted to keep it that way, so without further thought she'd thrown the Hummer keys at Ryan and settled herself into her seat, and her thoughts.

The pictures she'd seen in the bedroom were of a couple very obviously in love with each other, and Calleigh had no doubt declarations of love had been free-flowing in that house. While Eric had been more more free with telling her how he felt about her, telling her often that he loved her, the words had not come as easy to her. The fact that he was okay with that, that he was willing to wait for her to verbalize what he already knew to be true, made her love him all the more. Of course, it was easy to love Eric Delko, but when he loved you back as much as he did, as much as he showed her day after day, it wasn't hard to fall head over heels in love with him. But while she knew deep inside that she cared for him, and cared for him dearly, it took her a long time to admit to herself that she loved him. She'd had a lifetime of disappointment from men, never being able to trust them, to count on them, to rely on them... until Eric. And over the years she'd known him she'd given him every part of herself except one; she trusted him with her life, with her body, with every part of her except her heart.

Although it had taken her a while to admit to herself that she loved Eric, as soon as she knew it with all her heart, she'd told him, completely unable to keep it to herself a moment longer. They had been grocery shopping, standing in the middle of the produce section... or rather, she was watching Eric as he picked over the cantaloupes, trying to pick the perfect one for the next day's breakfast when it hit her, and if it hadn't been for the fact that the store didn't have many customers at that time, he probably wouldn't have heard her as she softly said "I love you," to him for the first time. But he had heard her, and he'd simply leaned over the shopping cart to capture her lips in a sweet kiss before whispering the words back to her against her lips. And later, after the groceries had been put away, he'd picked her up and carried her back to her bedroom where they'd made love for hours, neither holding anything back.

With a smile curving her lips, Calleigh lay her head back against the headrest and thought about their lovemaking the night before, and that morning. She hadn't been sure if Eric was truly in love with her when they began dating, but when he made love to her for the first time, there was no doubt left in her mind that he loved her. Each and every time they made love, there was a certain reverence in the way he held her, the way he gazed at her, the way his hands roamed her body, and the way he moved with her and within her. They'd been together for several months, and still they couldn't get enough of each other; the lovemaking was often, and still deeply passionate. The previous evening and that very morning was testament to that. The very thought had Calleigh shifting in her seat as a wave of warmth and desire flooded her, had her closing her eyes and breathing deeply, trying to squelch the sudden urge to moan.

The night before they'd curled up together on the couch to watch television before going to bed. After the news, Calleigh got up to prep the coffee pot for the following morning while Eric made his way to their bedroom. The bedroom was dark when she entered, but she could make out Eric standing between the bed and the bathroom as he pulled off his shirt. She'd started to move past him to begin her bedtime routine when his hand snaked out & grasped her arm, pulling her into a deep wet kiss, a kiss she'd melted into and eagerly returned. Moments later his sneaky hands found their way under her shirt, nimble fingers quickly finding the clasp on her bra, unhooking it and filling his hands with her breasts before pulling her tank top and bra off her heated, trembling body. What had started out as simply a desire to kiss the woman he loved had quickly evolved into lovemaking so all-consuming that she was surprised they hadn't left marks on each other.

After reluctantly pulling herself from his arms and the bed to begin the bedtime routine he'd interrupted, she wrapped her still-tingling body in her short black robe, tying it loosely around her waist as she entered the bathroom. Not content to be a room apart, Eric slid out of bed and leaned against the bathroom door, simply watching her as she scrubbed her beautiful face free of makeup. A smile curved his lips as he tilted his head, taking her in from head to foot... red toenails sinking into the plush white bathmat she stood on, soft black silky fabric meeting her mid-thigh, hair barely contained by the now very messy ponytail, stray fly-away strands of blonde falling around her face, smiling lips kiss swollen, green eyes sparkling... and God, he had to have her all over again. And he did. Right there in the bathroom. The next morning she'd made him breakfast while he showered, but afterward he'd shown up in the kitchen as naked as the day he was born and her robe hit the floor before he'd hoisted her onto the table, taking her right then and there. The French toast was a little overcooked, but he surely hadn't minded, and considering the pre-breakfast activity he'd treated her to, neither had she.

The buildings and cars the Hummer crawled past in traffic were a blur to Calleigh as she continued to stare out the window and reflect on the ways Eric showed her he loved her. Her thoughts drifted to how it wasn't just the way he made love to her that told her how much he loved her, how much she was treasured. It was also in all the little things he did for her, some things she'd previously found annoying coming from others... but from Eric she'd basked in the attention, found pleasure in the little things he did for her, found pleasure in the way he spoiled her, tended to her, cared for her so deeply.

Calleigh's eyes drifted to the now empty insulated coffee mug that sat in one of the two front-seat cup holders in the department issued Hummer and thought about how on mornings they both had to work Eric always made the coffee while she showered, and had a cup waiting for her on the bathroom counter when she got out, fixed just the way she liked it. If he got en early morning call-out, he'd start the coffee and leave her a note on the refrigerator door telling her he loved her. If she was the unlucky one to get the early call out, he still made the coffee for her, having a to-go cup and a kiss ready for her when she was ready to leave.

Remembering the kiss Eric had given her that very morning when they'd gotten to work, she pressed her fingers to her own lips and thought about how, as with every morning they were able to drive to work together, he'd parked in a far corner of the parking garage, away from the elevator and stairwells, so he could press her against the car door and get a good deep kiss in before they went in to work and had to be professional about their relationship, where public displays of affection were an agreed upon no-no. And when they couldn't drive to work together, he'd press her up against the inside of the front door, and get that deep kiss in before he'd let her leave.

Eric didn't just leave her notes on the refrigerator door when he had to leave early, he left her random notes in her lunch tote, the pocket of her lab coat, her locker at the lab, her evidence kit, the place she sat her purse and keys when she got home, and even folded up behind her nameplate on the MDPD In/Out roster board. Sometimes the notes simply said "I love you", or that she was beautiful, that her smile made his day, that he itched to run his fingers through her soft long hair, or that he couldn't wait until they could be alone again so he could kiss her senseless and watch the color of her green eyes deepen. Sometimes they said he would have a glass of her favorite wine waiting for her when she got home, or that he was taking her out to dinner after work. And when the notes were left in places like her locker where there was no chance anyone else would see it, he'd tell her just what he was going to do to her body when he got her home again or that she'd better not give him any smoldering looks that day or he'd have to risk getting fired and take her in the Hummer on the way back from a crime scene. The mere thought of such an encounter had her squirming in her seat... and unknowingly piquing Ryan's interest all over again.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Calleigh noticed Ryan glancing her way again and took a deep breath to calm herself, not wanting to draw any more attention from her overly inquisitive co-worker. Moving strands of wind-blown hair out of her face, Calleigh gazed out the window again and thought about how Eric also showed her how much he loved her by the way he took care of her. She was an independent woman, always had been, but with Eric she let go of some of that independence and let him take care of her. Never before had she let a man take care of her, always bristling when they attempted to do so. But with Eric it was different and maybe it was because he knew her so well, better than anyone else ever had. He knew when to go to her, when to hold her and take care, and when to give her space and let her work things out on her own; the way he took care of her wasn't stifling or overwhelming.

Some things he did were subtle - when they walked through a parking lot or on a side walk, he always walked on the outside so that he was the one walking against traffic. And sometimes that care was a little more obvious, though not overbearing - when she got an early call-out he'd leave breakfast for her in her locker, to make sure she ate. And when she wasn't feeling well, he knew when to fill her with vitamins and medicine and not say anything when she got dressed to go to work, and when to insist she stay home... of course, phone calls and lunch time visits to check on her were the norm when she stayed home.

Just as he did things he would normally do to show his love for her, Calleigh was certain that Eric did some things differently solely because he loved her. He was not a morning person and generally needed a shower and at least two cups of coffee before the fog cleared in his sleepy mind, but on Sundays he would set his phone alarm to get himself up before her so that he could make her breakfast in bed. Where before he'd been a beer man, now he bought her favorite wines instead. Before they finally got together he rarely cooked, preferring to eat out or open cans and cook in a microwave. But now he cooked all the time, trying his hand at different Cuban dishes and often asking his mother for recipes and all because he wanted to share his Cuban heritage with her.

Shaking her head with a grin, Calleigh remembered the spicy Cuban dinner Eric had prepared for them the previous Sunday evening when he'd decorated the dining area like an authentic Cuban cafe and served the food while speaking to her with every bit of the Spanish flair and accent he'd grown up with.

Her smile now a full-on grin, Calleigh slipped her cell phone out of her back pocket and tapped out a short three-word text message to Eric, then laid her head back against the head rest and closed her eyes with a contented sigh. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ryan turn toward her and could have sworn he was about to say something because his mouth opened, and he gaped at her like a fish for a few moments before he shut it and thankfully turned his attention back to the road in front of him. But Ryan quickly became a passing thought as she once again turned her thoughts toward Eric and how _she_would show _him_ just how much she loved him that evening.

...

Eric groaned as he sat back on his stool, moving his hands around to his lower back to rub his sore muscles in an attempt to alleviate the pain from being hunched over for so long. He'd spent all afternoon with a magnifying glass, hovering over two sets of crime scene photos, trying to find anything he could to nail the bastard that they all just knew had killed little old Ellie Jameson three days ago, and, they suspected, wheelchair bound Janey McDonnell the week before.

Wincing as he gave up on the photos, Eric moved his hands to his face, rubbing his tired eyes before picking up his pen to record his notes. Dutifully he wrote and wrote, pausing only when the cell phone at his hip vibrated. His pen hovered over the MDPD official form as he reached into his back pocket to fish out his phone, eyes moving from the form only when he'd moved the phone in front of his face.

Eric's features visibly softened as his eyes took in the short, but very sweet, text message. "_I love you"_ was all Calleigh's message said, and that was all it needed to say. The effect her words had on him was immediate; the warmth that infused his body had him fairly humming, his eyes sparkling, had him grinning where moments before his lips had been set into a thin line.

With a wide smile adorning his lips, thoughts about being with her, loving her later that evening filling his mind, Eric quickly typed a reply: _Love you too, Babe. _With a soft sigh he laid the phone on the table beside him and, feeling one hundred percent better, picked up the magnifying glass to review the photos again... the smile never leaving his face.

...

Unbeknownst to Eric, Valera had been walking past the glass walled Layout Lab right as Eric pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket. Normally this would not have caught her eye, but just as she was turning her gaze to something far more interesting, she caught Eric's smile out of the corner of her eyes and shifted her gaze back to him once again as she slowed her pace. She'd perfected her ability to look like she was working, or making her way in a certain direction, as she secretly took in interesting details about the goings-on around her, so slowing her gait as she eyed the handsome Cuban was second nature to her.

Eagle eyes took in the soft smile on his lips, a smile that quickly morphed into a full-on grin, the way the lines on his forehead disappeared as his features relaxed, and the way he licked his lips as he replied to whatever message he'd received. Glancing at her watch to note the time, as any good investigator would (really, why they hadn't made her a CSI yet was beyond her), she continued on her way to the break room, mentally tucking away what she'd seen in the recesses of her mind. Something had made the man grin the way he had, and she'd be falling down on the job if she didn't find out why. She was Maxine Valera after all. And Maxine Valera knew all the lab gossip there was to know. TMZ had nothing on her.

Almost an hour later she had her answer... in the form of a very inquisitive Ryan Wolfe, who told her all about Calleigh's strange behavior, and her cell phone texting at roughly the same time Eric went all googly-eyed. It wasn't one hundred percent proof positive, but she had a gut feeling her growing suspicions about the relationship between CSIs Delko and Duquesne had just been confirmed. And so with a devious twinkle in her eye, she turned back to the smirking Ryan Wolfe, and with an arm around his shoulder, guided him toward the locker room where she fully intended to weasel more information out of him over a few beers at Happy Hour. His treat of course.


End file.
